Seminole County enacts countywide burn ban amid worsening drought

Seminole County residents who planned to burn yard debris, light a bonfire or use an open campfire had to stop as the countywide burn ban took effect April 24, 2026. The order covers the entire county and blocks open burning under the county’s wildfire rules, a move officials say is meant to keep a spark from turning into a fast-moving brush fire or wildfire.

The ban was triggered automatically under Seminole County Code Section 85.24 after the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reached 500 or higher and no measurable rainfall was expected. County officials said that is exactly the threshold the county crossed this week, placing Seminole County’s driest stretch of the season under an immediate restriction rather than a warning. The order stays in place until the drought index remains below 500 for seven straight days or county officials lift it.

Assistant Fire Chief Tod Zellers said drought, low humidity and increasing winds have combined to create especially dangerous conditions across Seminole County. He said the drought index continues to climb and that it is “getting drier and drier,” a sign that fire danger is rising across neighborhoods, wooded edges and vacant lots alike.

For homeowners, landscapers and anyone clearing property this weekend, the practical effect is straightforward: loose burning is off limits. That means no burning piles of yard waste, no backyard fire pits that count as open fires, and no outdoor burning that would otherwise depend on the right conditions or permit. County wildfire guidance urges residents to clear dead vegetation and other flammable materials at least 30 feet from homes, remove leaves and debris from roofs and gutters, and prepare an emergency plan if living near wooded areas.

The county also says people should use caution with cigarettes and outdoor cooking equipment, and it is asking residents to report burn-ban violations through the citizen engagement line. Seminole County’s action fits a broader Central Florida and statewide pattern, with the Florida Forest Service burn-ban dashboard showing multiple county-enacted bans across Florida on April 24. Seminole County has used the same KBDI-500 trigger before, including burn-ban orders in 2023 and 2024, underscoring how often extreme dryness now pushes the county into automatic fire restrictions.