Outdoor burn ban in effect for North Port

Published on May 21, 2024

NORTH PORT, FL - Per City Ordinance 26-28, the City of North Port Fire Chief has determined that an Extraordinary Fire Hazard now exists due to extreme drought conditions and wildfire threat; therefore, an Outdoor Burning Ban is enacted within the City limits effective immediately. This ban will remain in place until rescinded.

Present conditions in the State and local region:

• The Sarasota County area has reached only 8% of its average rainfall for this month with 9 days remaining and we are 30% behind year to date averages for rainfall .  
• Within the City of North Port, the KBDI Drought Index that measures moisture in the vegetation and duff is up to 610 on scale of 0-800, and the Fire Index for the Sarasota County area is High on the Fire Danger Index (FDI).

The burn ban specifically prohibits any type of outdoor fire, such as campfires, land clearing burning, and pile burns. This prohibition does not affect permits issued by the Florida Forest Service although we are working very closely with them on effects and forecasting. Outdoor cooking fires in approved gas or charcoal BBQ grills are permitted; however, extreme caution is urged with these devices as well.

We encourage our citizens to inform each other of the ban to help prevent a fire. During this time of extreme drought, we caution all citizens to take precautions when parking cars in dry grass, carelessly tossing a lighted cigarette, or anything that could cause a spark or ignition source.