County Outdoor Burn Information
The Comal County Fire Marshal's Office is responsible for conducting fire investigations of all fires in the County where arson is suspected, the fire is undetermined by the fire department, and/or an injury or death has occurred.
The County Fire Marshal's Office is active in the area of Fire Prevention, designing programs in fire education that are geared towards all ages of County citizens. The Comal County Fire Marshal's Office is also responsible for building permits and inspections of new and remodeled structures relating to fire safety and law compliance.
Visit the Fire Marshal's main webpage to see if outdoor burning is allowed.
TCEQ Laws For Outdoor Burning when the County Burn Ban is not in force:
Before you outdoor burn, make sure that:
- Make sure the burn ban is off. You can verify by calling 830-643-3748
- You understand the TCEQ laws regulating outdoor burning
- Check wind speeds weather.com
- Be prepared for the unexpected.
Important Contact Information:
Bracken Volunteer Fire Department
210-651-5762, brackenvfd@sbcglobal.net
Bulverde Spring Branch Fire and EMS
P.O. Box 38, Spring Branch, Texas 78070
830-228-4501 info@bsb911.com
Canyon Lake Fire/EMS
830-907-2922 chief500@gvtc.com
City of New Braunfels Fire Department
830-221-4200
National Weather Service
https://www.weather.gov/ewx/
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
210-490-3096
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
800-803-9202 http://www.license.state.tx.us/AB/ab.htm
Media Release October 25, 2006
For several years the citizens of the unincorporated area of Comal County have been asked to call the sheriff’s office dispatcher and log their controlled burns by giving their name, address of the burn and a telephone number. Recently the dispatchers received 341 calls in an eight-hour period of people wanting to log their burns. This volume of calls takes valuable time from dispatchers who are still required to handle regular telephone traffic, handle 911 calls and dispatch the appropriate personnel and equipment, and continue with the dispatch duties for several law enforcement agencies, fire and EMS.
Effective immediately the Communications Section of the Sheriff’s Office will no longer be responsible for the logging of controlled burns. Citizens will need to check the National Weather Service
(830) 609-2029, The Weather Channel, television and radio stations and newspapers to determine the predicted wind speed of the day they wish to burn. If the wind speed, including gusts, is predicted to exceed 23 mph (20 Knots) burning on that day is prohibited according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requirements.
If citizens have questions about the requirements on outdoor burning they can call the TCEQ at (210) 490-3096, their local fire department or the Comal County Fire Marshal’s Office. The requirements for outdoor burning can be found on the Internet by going to www.co.comal.tx.us/Fire_Marshal.htm.
Citizens need to be familiar with the general requirements for allowable outdoor burning from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as penalties for violations can be quite severe. An offense is punishable for an individual by a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $50,000, confinement in the county jail for a period not to exceed 180 days, or both. An offense is punishable for a person other than an individual by a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $100,000.
