# Harris County Burn Ban Status _Outdoor-burning ban status for unincorporated Harris County, TX — which includes Crosby — from the Texas A&M Forest Service, rechecked about every 4 hours._ **Checked Oct 7, 2026, 1:00 AM CT.** **Burn ban in effect.** Outdoor burning is prohibited in unincorporated Harris County, which includes Crosby. In effect since September 17, 2026. ## Right now in Crosby - Wind: 5 mph N - Humidity: 79% - Rain chance: 1% **Wind is below the 6 mph minimum Texas requires for outdoor burning.** ## Before you burn **A burn ban is in effect, so outdoor burning is off the table right now.** When it lifts, here's what to check before you light anything. - **Make sure there's no county burn ban** — The status at the top of this page covers unincorporated Harris County, which is where Crosby is. - **Check for a Red Flag Warning** — A Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch means fire spreads dangerously fast that day. Any active one shows in the conditions above, and on our alerts page with everything else the National Weather Service has out for Crosby. [See all active alerts](https://crosbynews.com/alerts) - **Check the wind and the time of day** — Texas only allows burning when the wind is between 6 and 23 mph, and only from an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunset. [Current conditions](https://crosbynews.com/weather) - **Know what you're allowed to burn** — Never burn plastics, tires or rubber, treated lumber, construction debris, chemicals, or heavy oils. Burning household trash is a separate question — see below. [Texas outdoor burning rules](https://www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/rg-049) - **Make sure you can control the fire** — Someone stays with the fire until it is completely out, water and hand tools are within reach, and the fire is at least 300 feet from your neighbors' homes. - **Check for local restrictions** — An HOA, subdivision, or deed restriction can prohibit burning even when the county hasn't. ## What a burn ban means A burn ban is an order from the county judge or Commissioners Court that suspends outdoor burning when drought and fuel conditions raise the wildfire risk. In Harris County it covers the unincorporated areas — which is where Crosby is — while cities inside the county set their own rules. Violating it is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does “no burn ban” mean I can burn anything? No. Texas has its own rules about what you can burn and when, and they apply whether or not the county has a ban in place. Whether the county has banned burning is just one of the things that has to line up — the checklist above covers the rest. ### Can you burn trash in Crosby? Almost never. Texas lets people burn household trash only where the local government doesn't pick up garbage, and Crosby has collection — so that exception doesn't cover most homes here. Put it out for pickup instead. This is true whether or not there's a burn ban. ### Is there a separate Crosby burn ban? No. Crosby is unincorporated, so Harris County's ban is the one that applies here — there is no separate Crosby ban and no separate Crosby status to look up. HOA and deed restrictions are a different matter and can still apply. ### What about grills, fire pits, and cooking fires? Every county writes its ban a little differently, so the exceptions depend on the one currently in place. Harris County's recent bans have still allowed backyard cooking like barbecues, approved ceremonial fires, and fires kept fully inside something that holds in the flames and sparks. ### What if a fire gets away from me? Call 911 immediately — a grass fire moving with the wind outruns a person quickly, and it is not worth chasing. Before you light anything, have a charged garden hose or filled buckets within reach and a rake or shovel to pull fuel away from the edge. ## Resources - [Crosby weather alerts](https://crosbynews.com/alerts) — Red Flag Warnings and every other active NWS alert for Crosby. - [Crosby conditions and forecast](https://crosbynews.com/weather) — Wind, humidity, and the rest of today's weather. - [Emergency resources](https://crosbynews.com/emergency) — Who to call, including for a fire that gets away from you. - [Harris County Fire Marshal — burn bans](https://www.hcfmo.net/Resources/Wildfire-Burn-Bans) — The local authority: the ban itself and its exceptions. - [TCEQ — Outdoor Burning in Texas](https://www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/rg-049) — The statewide rules on what may be burned, and when. - [Texas A&M Forest Service — burn bans](https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/wildfire-and-other-disasters/burn-bans-and-information/) — Where this page's status comes from. - [Texas burn ban map](https://tfsfrp.tamu.edu/wildfires/DecBan.png) — Every county's current status, statewide. - [Drought conditions for Harris County](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_48201) — Drought is what drives counties to issue a ban in the first place. --- Source: Texas A&M Forest Service (tfsweb.tamu.edu), which tracks what counties report — it is not the issuing authority. · [crosbynews.com](https://crosbynews.com/)