Burn bans and open burning — Sebastian, Florida

Outside a county burn ban, Sebastian residents may burn yard waste without a Florida Forest Service authorization if the pile is under 8 feet across, meets the setbacks, and burns only from 9 a.m. to one hour before sunset.

The rules come from the Florida Forest Service, which administers Florida's outdoor burning and forest fire laws. It states that burning yard waste such as grass clippings, brush, leaves, tree limbs and palm fronds does not require a burn authorization as long as the pile is less than 8 feet in diameter, the required setbacks are met, and the fire is ignited after 9 a.m. Eastern Time and extinguished one hour before sunset. The setbacks are listed below. On residential lots in the Sebastian Highlands, the 25-foot house setback and the 150-foot distance from other occupied buildings apply alongside the 50-foot setback from paved roads.

Last verified: October 10, 2026, on the Florida Forest Service website. The Forest Service also tells residents to check with the local office for restrictions in their area, and in Indian River County that includes any county emergency burn ban, which overrides these rules for Sebastian while it is in effect.

Household garbage, paper products, treated lumber, plastics, rubber, tires, and pesticide, paint and aerosol containers may never be burned in Sebastian or anywhere else in Florida.

The Florida Forest Service lists those materials as illegal to burn. Bigger fires need permission: piles larger than 8 feet in diameter require a burn authorization and suppression equipment on hand, and agricultural, silvicultural, land clearing, pile and acreage burning all require an authorization from the Forest Service. The agency adds that escaped debris burning is one of the leading causes of wildfires in Florida, which is why the authorization rules apply to burns in and around Sebastian.

State law sets the conditions for authorized burns in Sebastian and the rest of Indian River County. Section 590.125, Florida Statutes, requires the landowner's consent, an authorization obtained from the Forest Service before the burn starts, adequate firebreaks and equipment, the fire staying inside the authorized area, the responsible person present until the fire is completed, and a Forest Service finding that air quality and fire danger are favorable. The same section lets a county or municipality issue yard trash burn authorizations through its own program if the Forest Service approves it and the program is set by ordinance or local law.

An Indian River County burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning in Sebastian not specifically authorized by the Florida Forest Service, including campfires, bonfires and chimeneas, with gas or charcoal grills the only exception for cooking.

The most recent order shows the scope. On February 6, 2026, CBS12 reported a mandatory countywide burn ban applying to all areas of Indian River County, effective at 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, and in place until further notice. It prohibited outdoor burning not specifically authorized by the Florida Forest Service, including burning yard debris, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires, outdoor fireplaces, chimeneas and cooking fires. The only exceptions were fires authorized by the Forest Service and cooking fires used exclusively for food preparation in a gas or charcoal grill, and setting fire to grass, brush or forest-covered land without authorization was a violation.

WQCS reported on February 9, 2026 that the ban followed freezing temperatures that had damaged vegetation, with forecasters predicting continued dry conditions, and that Emergency Services Director and Fire Chief David Johnson requested that County Administrator John Titkanich issue Emergency Order 2026-001 declaring a local state of emergency. CBS12 printed the order number as 2024-001. Either way, the order covered every Sebastian backyard, from the riverfront to the Sebastian Highlands.

Indian River County, which includes Sebastian, has issued emergency burn bans in at least April 2023 and February 2026, each declared during a dry spell and extended or reviewed as conditions changed.

The 2023 ban began on April 8. Sebastian Daily reported that Emergency Services Director Dave Johnson called for a ban from April 8 through April 15 or until further order after consulting neighboring counties, and that Interim Administrator Mike Zito cited an extended period of dry weather on the Treasure Coast. The paper noted dry conditions in Sebastian and forecast wind gusts of 25 mph. On April 14, the Indian River Guardian reported that the county extended the ban from 8 a.m. on April 15 through 8 a.m. on April 22, 2023, or until further order.

Violations carried fines in Sebastian as everywhere else in the county. Vero News reported on April 10, 2023 that violations of that ban drew an initial $250 fine followed by $500 fines per incident, according to the county's Legislative Affairs and Communications Manager. The same report said the ban came as Indian River County faced strong winds with gusts as high as 30 mph, and that the National Weather Service in Melbourne expected a 60 to 70 percent chance of showers later that week.

Neighboring St. Lucie County acted in step both times. In 2023, Vero News reported that St. Lucie County issued its ban the day before Indian River County, and in February 2026 WQCS reported that St. Lucie County declared a local state of emergency with a countywide ban, while Martin County had not.

Wildfire danger for Sebastian is tracked mainly by the Florida Forest Service's Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a 0 to 800 scale of soil dryness, along with fire weather forecasts from NWS Melbourne.

The Forest Service KBDI page describes the index as a continuous reference scale for the dryness of the soil and duff layers, rising each day without rain and falling when it rains, from 0 for no moisture deficit to 800. The scale assumes 8 inches of moisture in a saturated soil, and the agency notes that it takes 80 inches of sand, compared with 30 inches of loam, to hold that much water. High values indicate conditions favorable for wildfire. In February 2026, WQCS reported that St. Lucie County officials cited a KBDI above 600, in the high range, when they declared their ban alongside Indian River County.

The Current Wildfire Information page carries the Forest Service's County-Enacted Burn Ban Map, which reflects county burn bans reported to the agency, and states that local burn bans are enacted by county governments. The same page counted 3,183 wildfires and 283,975 acres burned in Florida from January 1 to October 4, 2026. NWS Melbourne, which forecasts for Sebastian, issues fire weather forecasts and spot forecasts for prescribed fire and for crews fighting wildfires in east central Florida.

Bonfires and special-event fires in the Sebastian area go through the Indian River County Fire Prevention Bureau, which publishes bonfire requirements and permit applications.

According to the county's permits and fees page, the County Commission created the Fire Prevention Bureau and its schedule of fire and life safety fees and fines by adopting Ordinance 2004-021 and Resolution 2004-071 on July 6, 2004, effective July 12, 2004, now Chapter 208 of the county code. The bureau's document center lists Bonfire Requirements, a Fireworks Permit Application, a Special Event Permit Application and a Fire Unit Standby Request, with applications submitted by email.

Those county permits sit alongside the state rules rather than replacing them. A bonfire or event fire in Sebastian still falls under the Florida Forest Service limits on pile size, setbacks and hours, and during an emergency burn ban the 2023 and 2026 county orders banned bonfires outright unless the Forest Service specifically authorized the fire. Residents planning a large burn on acreage west of Sebastian toward Fellsmere fall under the authorization rules for piles over 8 feet and for land clearing.