Is there a burn ban today?

Right now, yes, in both counties around Baytown. Harris County's ban on outdoor burning for its unincorporated area has been in effect since September 17, 2026, and Chambers County's has been in effect since September 24, 2026. Burn bans in Texas are set county by county and end with the weather, so the answer can change in a week. For today's read, check the chip at the top of the front page. Here's who decides it, what it means, and where to check.

Who declares it, and under what law

A burn ban isn't a state law that switches on statewide. Under Texas Local Government Code Section 352.081, each county's commissioners court can, by order, prohibit or restrict outdoor burning when a drought makes it dangerous. The county judge and commissioners vote it in, and the same body lifts it once conditions improve. Harris County and Chambers County each make that call separately, so it's entirely possible for one to be under a ban while the other isn't. At the moment both are.

An order can't run longer than 90 days at a time, but a court can simply adopt a new one right after the old one expires, which is why a bad drought can mean months of burn ban with no real gap. The order ends once a determination is made that the drought conditions that justified it are gone.

The two orders now in effect

Harris County Fire Marshal's Office: "burn ban now in effect for unincorporated Harris County," effective September 17, 2026, with no end date posted. Chambers County: the county's Alert Center carries a "Burn Ban in Effect for Chambers County" notice, and its proclamation, dated September 24, 2026, prohibits outdoor burning in the county for the duration of the proclamation. Both fall under the 90-day limit, which points to roughly mid-to-late December unless the commissioners readopt them. That is arithmetic, not a posted end date, so watch the county pages as December gets close. Backyard cook-outs and barbecues on equipment made for the purpose are allowed under the Harris order.

What's banned, what's still allowed

The standard county order bans outdoor burning except inside an enclosure that contains all flames and sparks, burning already authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, approved ceremonial fires, non-commercial cooking, and certain "hot work" like welding done under the county fire code. The statute itself carves out TCEQ-authorized burning for firefighter training, utility, pipeline and mining operations, and planting or harvesting of crops, plus burns run by certified prescribed burn managers. In plain terms: a backyard grill or a contained fire pit is normally fine even in a ban; a brush pile or a bonfire in the open is not.

Fireworks are a separate legal track entirely. A county burn ban, by itself, doesn't restrict fireworks. Restricting the sale or use of fireworks in the unincorporated area takes its own commissioners court order, adopted by June 15 for the Fourth of July season or by December 15 for the year-end season, and it depends on a finding that drought conditions exist on average in the county, defined as a Keetch-Byram Drought Index of 575 or greater. That December 15 deadline is the one coming up: if the ground is still dry in early December, watch for a fireworks order before New Year's. So a county can be under a burn ban with fireworks still legal to buy and shoot off, or vice versa around the Fourth of July and New Year's. Check the fireworks question separately; don't assume one status tells you the other.

Harris County and Chambers County each make that call separately, so it's entirely possible for one to be under a ban while the other isn't.

Violating a burn ban is a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $500. If an illegal fire spreads and damages someone else's property, the charges can escalate to reckless damage or, in serious cases, arson.

The drought index behind the decision

Counties don't guess. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, measures how dry the soil and vegetation are on a scale that runs roughly from 0 (saturated) to 800 (severe drought, extreme fire risk). The Texas A&M Forest Service publishes county KBDI values and a 4-kilometer KBDI map as the reference commissioners courts use to decide whether a ban is justified. The same number, at a county-wide average of 575 or higher, is the threshold state law sets for restricting fireworks.

Where to check right now

• Harris County (the unincorporated area, which includes Highlands and Crosby): the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office posts the status at hcfmo.net, under Resources, Wildfire Burn Bans.
• Chambers County (Mont Belvieu, Cove and the east side of Baytown): the county's Alert Center page at chamberscountytx.gov shows the notice, and its outdoor burning page carries the order.
• Statewide map: the Texas A&M Forest Service keeps a county-by-county burn ban map, offered as an image, a PDF, a text list and an RSS feed, at tfsweb.tamu.edu/burnbans.
• Inside Baytown city limits: the county's order generally applies to unincorporated area; the city enforces its own fire code for burning within city limits, so ask the Baytown Fire Marshal rather than assuming the county's status covers you. The fire marshal's office is at Baytown Fire Department headquarters, 3200 N. Main Street, and the contact page is on baytown.org. We have not seen a separate City of Baytown burn-ban notice.

Who to ask locally

The fire departments are the people who enforce and explain all this. Baytown Fire Department Station 2 at 2320 Market Street is one of the city's stations, and the department's headquarters and fire marshal are at 3200 N. Main Street. Out in the county, the volunteer and district departments cover the rest: Highlands Fire Department at 123 San Jacinto Street, Crosby Fire Department at 123 S Diamondhead Boulevard, Mont Belvieu Fire Department at 11607 Eagle Drive, and Cove Fire & Rescue at 5735 S FM 565. A fire that is spreading or out of control is a 911 call, not a question for the station. If you see someone burning and it looks contained, a note to the fire marshal through the city's site is the better route; if smoke is climbing or embers are blowing, call 911.

If you have a brush pile you were planning to burn, the city's trash and recycling page covers what the curb takes. Flares at the plants are a different subject from a burn ban; the "What was that?" page explains them.

Before you go

• Check the county page the day you plan to burn anything, because an order can start or end without much notice.
• Keep a hose or a full bucket within reach of any legal fire, and never leave a grill or fire pit unattended. If you can't put it out with a garden hose, don't light it.
• Keep fire pits and grills away from dry grass, fences and eaves.
• Ask the fire department before burning anything inside Baytown city limits, since the county order may not be the rule that applies to you.
• Check the fireworks status separately from the burn ban before the Fourth of July or New Year's.

Questions people ask

Is there a burn ban in Chambers County, Texas today? Yes. Chambers County's ban on outdoor burning has been in effect since September 24, 2026. It can end on short notice, so check the county's Alert Center page or the Texas A&M Forest Service map.

Is there a burn ban today? Yes in both counties around Baytown: Harris County's (unincorporated area) since September 17, 2026 and Chambers County's since September 24, 2026.

Harris County burn ban: how do I find out? The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office page and the statewide Forest Service map both carry current status. The current order applies to the unincorporated county, not necessarily inside Baytown.

Sources

• Harris County Fire Marshal's Office, Wildfire Burn Bans: https://www.hcfmo.net/Resources/Wildfire-Burn-Bans
• Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 352 (Section 352.081): https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.352.htm
• Texas A&M Forest Service, burn ban map and KBDI: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/burnbans/
• Chambers County, Burn Ban in Effect notice: https://www.chamberscountytx.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=Burn-Ban-in-Effect-for-Chambers-County-39
• City of Baytown, Codes and Ordinances: https://www.baytown.org/1214/Codes-and-Ordinances

En español

¿Hay una veda de quemas hoy?

Sí, en los dos condados que rodean Baytown. La veda de quemas al aire libre en el área no incorporada del condado de Harris está vigente desde el 17 de septiembre de 2026, y la del condado de Chambers desde el 24 de septiembre de 2026. En Texas cada condado decide por separado y las vedas terminan con el clima, así que la respuesta puede cambiar en una semana. Para saber el estado de hoy, mire el aviso en la parte de arriba de la página principal.

Quién la declara

No es una ley estatal que se active en todo Texas. Según el Código de Gobierno Local, Sección 352.081, la corte de comisionados de cada condado puede prohibir o restringir las quemas al aire libre cuando la sequía las vuelve peligrosas. Una orden no puede durar más de 90 días, pero la corte puede adoptar otra enseguida. Eso apunta a mediados o finales de diciembre, a menos que se renueven; es un cálculo, no una fecha publicada. Revise las páginas de los condados cuando se acerque diciembre.

Qué se prohíbe y qué se permite

Se prohíbe quemar al aire libre, salvo dentro de un recinto que contenga todas las llamas y chispas, quemas autorizadas por la Comisión de Calidad Ambiental de Texas (TCEQ), fogatas ceremoniales aprobadas, cocinar sin fines comerciales y trabajos en caliente, como soldadura, bajo el código de incendios del condado. Una parrilla de patio o un hoyo de fuego con tapa normalmente está bien; una pila de ramas o una fogata abierta, no. La multa por violar la veda es de hasta 500 dólares (delito menor Clase C). Si un fuego ilegal se extiende y daña la propiedad de otra persona, los cargos pueden ser más graves.

Los fuegos artificiales son un trámite aparte

Una veda de quemas no prohíbe automáticamente los fuegos artificiales. Para restringirlos, la corte de comisionados necesita otra orden, adoptada a más tardar el 15 de junio para el 4 de julio o el 15 de diciembre para fin de año, y solo si la sequía promedio del condado alcanza un índice Keetch-Byram de 575 o más. Revise los fuegos artificiales por separado.

Dónde revisar

• Condado de Harris (área no incorporada, incluye Highlands y Crosby): la Oficina del Alguacil de Incendios publica el estado en hcfmo.net.
• Condado de Chambers (Mont Belvieu, Cove y el este de Baytown): la página del Centro de Alertas en chamberscountytx.gov.
• Mapa estatal: el Servicio Forestal de Texas A&M, en tfsweb.tamu.edu/burnbans.
• Dentro de los límites de la ciudad de Baytown: la orden del condado se aplica por lo general al área no incorporada, y la ciudad aplica su propio código de incendios. Pregunte al jefe de prevención de incendios de Baytown (Fire Marshal), en la sede del Departamento de Bomberos, 3200 N. Main Street. No hemos visto un aviso de veda aparte de la Ciudad de Baytown.

A quién preguntar, y qué hacer

Si el fuego se extiende o está fuera de control, llame al 911. Si ve a alguien quemando y el fuego parece controlado, avise a la oficina del Fire Marshal por el sitio de la ciudad. Si tiene una pila de ramas, la página de basura y reciclaje de la ciudad explica qué se lleva el camión.

Antes de encender algo

• Revise la página del condado el mismo día en que piense quemar algo, porque una orden puede empezar o terminar sin mucho aviso.
• Tenga una manguera o un balde lleno al alcance de cualquier fuego permitido, y nunca deje una parrilla o un hoyo de fuego sin vigilancia.
• Mantenga las parrillas lejos del pasto seco, las cercas y los aleros.