LEBANON, Pa. — The Lebanon County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday announced it is instituting a temporary, 30-day ban on open burning due to dry weather conditions and the resulting risk of wildfires.
The ban is effective noon Thursday and will last until July 8, according to commissioners Robert J. Phillips, Michael J. Kuhn, and Jo Ellen Litz.
Lebanon County is the second Central Pennsylvania county to institute a burn ban this week. On Monday, York County's Board of Commissioners also instituted a 30-day ban on open burning.
LNP | LancasterOnline reports that the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners could follow suit with a vote this week. If the vote goes as expected, Lancaster County could be the subject of a burn ban for the first time since 2012.
Open burning is defined as "the ignition and subsequent burning of any combustible material (garbage, litter, paper, grass, leaves, twigs, vegetative material associated with land clearing or any other debris) out-of-doors, either in a burn barrel (screened or unscreened) or on the ground."
The use of propane or gas stoves, charcoal grills, or tobacco in any form is not covered by the ban.
Campfires set in fire rings at designated campsites in state or federal parks or campgrounds licensed by the Department of Environmental Protection are also allowed under the ban, according to the commissioners.
The ban will be enforced by any sworn law enforcement agent, including State Police, across the county.
Anyone who violates the ban could be subject to a fine of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $300 for a third or any subsequent offenses, the commissioners said.
