Burn bans in Michigan

Yes — 22 counties in Michigan are currently under a burn ban. The county table above lists each one with its effective date and source.

Michigan runs a daily burn permit system rather than named burn bans. Each morning the DNR decides, county by county, whether it will issue burn permits at all that day — and for the counties it covers, that decision is the permit: if the DNR shows permits are being issued for your county, you are authorised to burn debris today, and if it shows they are not, no open debris burning is allowed. The DNR only administers this in the counties under its fire protection, largely the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula. Across much of southern Michigan the DNR issues no electronic permits at all and the local fire department holds the authority, so no statewide status exists for that land.

Bans are issued by county officials and typically stay in effect until conditions improve or the order expires. Some counties set explicit expiration dates; others leave a ban open-ended until lifted. Check each county's page for the expiration listed on the current order.

Burning without a required permit violates Part 515 of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, and MCL 324.51512 makes any violation of that part a misdemeanor. The DNR also warns that you are responsible for all damages resulting from a fire that escapes, separately from any penalty. Setting fire to forest land willfully, maliciously or wantonly falls under MCL 324.51510 and is a felony punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.