HB 1153: ENVIRONMENT/ENFORCEMENT: Authorizes parishes and municipalities to declare bans on burning - Louisiana

HB1153 Original → HB1153 Act 931 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill expands the authority to issue burn bans from the state Fire Marshal to local parish and municipal governments, allowing them to act quickly based on local conditions. It clarifies that bans must be lifted once the fire risk is no longer elevated and requires official publication in parish journals. The law also updates exemptions to explicitly allow agricultural burning, prescribed burns, and contained cooking fires while prohibiting uncontained recreational fires.

Scope change

Expanded from state-level enforcement only to include local parish and municipal governing authorities.

SCOPE

Authorized local parishes and municipalities to declare their own burn bans instead of relying solely on the state Fire Marshal.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement for local governments to publish the ban notice in the official parish journal, in addition to other public notice methods.

Clarified that a ban must be lifted immediately when the elevated fire risk ceases.

ELIGIBILITY

Updated the list of prohibited activities to explicitly ban uncontained recreational fires while exempting contained cooking fires, grills, and prescribed burns.

ENFORCEMENT

Increased civil penalties for repeat offenses, raising fines to $2,500 for a third violation and allowing for criminal charges if property damage exceeds $5,000.

Added liability for violators to pay the full costs of fire suppression and emergency response.

HB1153 Enrolled → HB1153 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill shifts the authority to issue burn bans from the state fire marshal to local parish and municipal governments, allowing communities to declare bans based on local environmental risks. It also updates the list of prohibited activities to include recreational fires in unapproved pits and clarifies that approved pits are now an exemption rather than a violation. Additionally, the required public notice method for parishes was changed from 'additional' notice to a mandatory requirement.

Scope change

The scope of authority expanded from the state level to include local parishes and municipalities, allowing them to independently declare burn bans within their jurisdictions.

ELIGIBILITY

Parishes and municipalities are now authorized to declare their own burn bans when local conditions create an elevated wildfire risk.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for parishes to provide public notice of a burn ban was changed from optional ('additional') to mandatory.

DEFINITION

The list of prohibited burning activities was updated to explicitly ban recreational fires not contained within approved fire pits or enclosures.

The list of exempt activities was updated to specify that recreational fires must be contained within 'approved' fire pits or enclosures to be legal.

HB1153 Engrossed → HB1153 Enrolled · 4 edits · May 27, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as 'Enrolled' after being 'Engrossed,' indicating it is ready for the Governor's signature. The most significant substantive change is the expansion of authority to municipalities, allowing them to declare temporary burn bans based on local fire risks, whereas the previous version only authorized parishes to do so. Additionally, the enforcement penalties for severe violations involving critical infrastructure were strengthened to include longer prison terms and higher fines.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from applying only to parishes to also applying to municipalities, granting local governments new authority to issue burn bans.

ELIGIBILITY

Municipalities are now authorized to declare temporary bans on burning within their limits when weather or environmental conditions create an elevated risk of wildfire.

REQUIREMENT

Municipalities may adopt ordinances to establish procedures for issuing, extending, or terminating burn bans, and fire chiefs may recommend bans based on fire risk.

ENFORCEMENT

Penalties for violating a ban that causes damage to critical infrastructure were increased to include imprisonment of up to five years and fines up to $25,000.

The bill now explicitly allows fire department personnel and municipal code enforcement officers to enforce burn bans in addition to local and state law enforcement.

ENVIRONMENT/ENFORCEMENT: Authorizes parishes and municipalities to declare bans on burning

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