NUECES COUNTY, Texas — Nueces County officials have implemented a new burn ban for all unincorporated areas, prohibiting most outdoor burning activities for the next 60 days, effective immediately.
The order bans all outdoor burning, including popular beach bonfires, across unincorporated sections of the county. The county judge can rescind the restrictions early if conditions improve and the circumstances that prompted the ban no longer exist.
This marks the second major burn ban for the county in recent months. In late 2025, Nueces County implemented a burn ban on November 5, 2025, initially extending it for 60 days through January 20, 2026, due to extremely dry conditions. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index reached 649 at that time, indicating a high wildfire risk, and forecasts called for warmer and drier weather. As many as 132 Texas counties had similar bans in place during that period.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index is used by the Texas Forest Service to assess drought conditions related to wildfire potential. The index measures soil moisture depletion on a scale from 0 to 800, with higher numbers indicating drier conditions and increased fire risk. Values above 600 typically signal severe drought conditions that create dangerous wildfire environments.
However, improved conditions, including heavy rains that lowered the drought index, led County Judge Connie Scott to lift that ban early on December 4, 2025, at 5 p.m. The early lifting of restrictions ahead of the January 20, 2026, expiration date allowed outdoor burning to resume in unincorporated areas, provided proper fire safety precautions were in place.
The current ban allows limited exceptions for essential activities. Household trash burning remains permitted only in areas without regular trash pickup service, and only when using enclosed containers like metal barrels equipped with spark and flame-arresting screens.
Residents can continue non-commercial cooking activities, including backyard cookouts and barbecues. Outdoor welding and other "hot work" activities must still comply with existing fire code requirements.
The county adopted the order under Texas Local Government Code §352-081(d) and other applicable statutes. Several activities remain exempt from the ban, including firefighting training, public utility operations, natural gas pipeline work, mining operations, and agricultural crop planting or harvesting.
Certified and insured prescribed burn managers can still conduct burns under Natural Resources Code §153.048, provided they meet standards outlined in Natural Resources Code §153.047. These exemptions require authorization from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for public health and safety purposes.
Violating the burn ban carries serious consequences. Under Texas Local Government Code §352.081(h), knowing or intentional violations constitute criminal offenses punishable by fines and potential jail time.
The 60-day restriction period reflects current dry conditions and elevated fire risk across the region. County officials will monitor weather patterns and environmental conditions to determine if early lifting of restrictions becomes appropriate, as occurred with the previous ban.
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