Clay County weighs changes to open‑burn ordinance as enforcement challenges emerge

County officials spent multiple meetings refining language for an open‑burn ordinance to reduce false responses and clarify enforcement. The discussion centered on who should be liable when a controlled burn results in a complaint — the landowner, the person who ignited the fire, a leaseholder, or a designated land manager — and whether the ordinance should require a mandatory court appearance for violations.

State’s Attorney Michael Smith said the current draft leaves ambiguities about responsibility and civil liability and recommended replacing a mandatory court‑appearance penalty with a fine schedule tied to existing statutory guidelines. Fire officials and the Emergency Management Director said the primary goal is to ensure people call dispatch before burning so volunteer firefighting resources are not needlessly diverted. Smith agreed to draft revised ordinance language and return it for further consideration.