South Dakota · Burn Bans

Before

South Dakota has no statewide burn ban, and by law it cannot have one: under SDCL 34A-1-18 a general prohibition on open burning is set by each municipality, or by the county outside municipal boundaries, and the state board may not adopt a rule generally prohibiting all open burning. Public-land restrictions are a different matter and several are in force. BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST IS AT STAGE 2 (Order BKF-194-2026), in effect since 12:01 a.m. July 27, 2026 and running through December 27, 2026 unless rescinded, across the Bearlodge, Northern Hills, Mystic and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts in South Dakota and Wyoming: no fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue or grill except a liquid- or gas-fuelled device on ground cleared three feet, no smoking except in an enclosed vehicle or building, no welding or open-flame torch, no explosives, and no motor vehicle off Forest Service roads. Forest fire danger is Extreme in the Central and Southern Hills and Very High in the Northern Hills. BLM SOUTH DAKOTA HAS BEEN AT STAGE II since 12:01 a.m. July 15, 2026 on its land in Butte, Custer, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Stanley and Ziebach counties — no campfires at all, and no internal-combustion engines, welding or explosives between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. A separate standing Forest Service order restricts fires to established fireplaces or stoves inside the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District year-round, and state burn permits for that district are issued only November 1 through March 31 and only for slash piles on continuous snow cover. South Dakota publishes no statewide list of county burn bans; the state's own advice is to check your county state's attorney or city attorney before burning.

Now

South Dakota has no statewide burn ban, and by law it cannot have one: under SDCL 34A-1-18 a general prohibition on open burning is set by each municipality, or by the county outside municipal boundaries, and the state board may not adopt a rule generally prohibiting all open burning. Public-land restrictions are a different matter and several are in force. BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST: the Stage 2 order that covered the South Dakota districts, BKF-194-2026, was SUPERSEDED at 12:00 p.m. on September 24, 2026 by Order BKF-198-2026, which by its own terms applies to the Bearlodge and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts in the State of Wyoming and runs to 12:00 p.m. on December 15, 2026. The forest alerts page carried NO Stage 2 order for the Northern Hills or Mystic Ranger Districts when it was read on the date in this row. What remains posted on the South Dakota side is Order BKF-182-2024, in effect from November 16, 2024 through December 31, 2029: inside the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District, no fire or campfire unless it is in an established fireplace approved or constructed by a public agency in a designated recreation area, though an enclosed stove or grill, a portable brazier or a pressurized liquid-gas stove is allowed. A Stage 2 order can be reissued for the South Dakota districts at any time, so confirm with the forest before lighting anything. Forest fire danger is Extreme in the Central and Southern Hills and Very High in the Northern Hills. BLM SOUTH DAKOTA HAS BEEN AT STAGE II since 12:01 a.m. July 15, 2026 on its land in Butte, Custer, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Stanley and Ziebach counties — no campfires at all, and no internal-combustion engines, welding or explosives between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. A separate standing Forest Service order restricts fires to established fireplaces or stoves inside the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District year-round, and state burn permits for that district are issued only November 1 through March 31 and only for slash piles on continuous snow cover. South Dakota publishes no statewide list of county burn bans; the state's own advice is to check your county state's attorney or city attorney before burning.