The Lee County Board has approved an ordinance regulating open burning in the county’s unincorporated areas.

The ordinance approved Thursday, Oct. 23, bans the burning of all materials, except landscape and agricultural waste, during periods of high fire risk, such as a red-flag warning. It was first introduced at the board’s August meeting. Several revisions were made to it in September to make it less restrictive.

Lee County Administrator Jeremy Englund told Shaw Local that the board received a lot of feedback from residents, which resulted in the changes made in September.

Here’s what to know about open burning in unincorporated Lee County, according to the ordinance:

• Before burning, notify the area’s fire district, except for recreational and cooking fires or prescribed burns in accordance with the Illinois Prescribed Burning Act.
• Open burns are allowed during any time of day or night.
• All fires must be supervised by a person at least 18 years old; accompanied by appropriate fire-suppression equipment; and located a safe distance away from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials.
• Reasonable precautions must be taken to minimize the effects of smoke.
• Burning vegetation in the public right of way, including ditches, can only be done with the consent of that jurisdiction’s road authority.
• Violations would result in a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second, and up to $1,500 per violation for the third and any subsequent offenses.

At the Aug. 21 board meeting, Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan said the ordinance is intended to hold residents accountable for their burning, specifically when burns are conducted during a red-flag warning and result in an emergency response.

Red-flag warnings are issued by the National Weather Service to indicate a high risk of wildfire due to conditions such as strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures.

“We don’t want to prohibit farmers from burning their fence lines,” Whelan said. “We just want everybody to be responsible and act accordingly.”