Ranger Ray Brundage said the Georgia Forestry Commission has lifted its annual burn ban, which is put in place May 1-Sept. 30 of each year.

Each year, the Georgia Protection Division imposes the burn ban to comply with federal clean air regulations. According to the Georgia Forestry Commission website, the ozone level can reach an unhealthy point during the summer months in Georgia.

The EPD has determined that open burning is a significant contributor to that problem.

The counties that were included in the burn ban were: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Walker and Walton.   

Anyone in county jurisdiction will need to acquire a burn permit to burn anything, including a pile of leaves in their yard. The burn permit line is 1-877-OK2-BURN and can also be acquired at www.gatrees.org.

Permits are from day to day, so each day you must get a new burn permit.

In the City of LaGrange, Brundage said you have to call the LaGrange Fire Department to get a burn permit.

Brundage said more than 100 burn permits were issued over the weekend for residents in Troup County.