McCurtain County Burn Ban Today
Tuesday, Sep 29 · Hochatown & Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Yes — McCurtain County is under a burn ban.
Official county status: “County Burn Ban”, exactly as published on the Oklahoma Forestry Services burn ban map.
State map last updated Mon, Sep 28, 10:31 AM CDT. Checked by Hocha.town at 2:59 PM CDT.
Can we use the fire pit at our cabin?
Check before you light anything. Under a county commissioners' burn ban, open burning is restricted, with exceptions spelled out in that county's own resolution (Oklahoma Forestry Services). So whether a cabin fire pit, campfire, chiminea or charcoal grill is allowed depends on what McCurtain County's resolution says — not on a general rule we can give you here.
Ask your cabin host or property manager, read the house rules, and if you're unsure, skip the fire. Breaking a county burn ban is a misdemeanor in Oklahoma (details below).
Hochatown, Broken Bow and Beavers Bend
Hochatown, Broken Bow, Beavers Bend State Park and the cabin areas along US-259 are all in McCurtain County, so the McCurtain County status above is the one to check for a cabin weekend. The state map lists every Oklahoma county's status separately, so make sure you're reading McCurtain.
Heading out for the weekend? The Hochatown weather forecast shows whether rain is coming, and today's traffic covers the drive in on US-259.
How Oklahoma burn bans work
From the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, which runs Oklahoma Forestry Services:
- There are two kinds: county burn bans, voted by the board of county commissioners, and Governor's burn bans. A Governor's ban supersedes a county ban.
- A county ban lasts no more than 14 days unless the commissioners rescind it; if extreme fire danger continues, they can pass another one.
- Resolutions are sent to Oklahoma Forestry Services and posted on its website the same day if received by 4:00 PM, otherwise the next day.
- Breaking a county ban is a misdemeanor: a fine of up to $500, up to a year in jail, or both. For a Governor's ban the fine is up to $1,000. Any law enforcement officer in the state can enforce either.
- A National Weather Service Red Flag Warning is not a burn ban (OFS), though it signals dangerous fire weather.
Where this comes from
The official status is read straight from the state's burn ban data layer — the same one behind the Oklahoma Forestry Services burn ban map — at most every 15 minutes, and shown word for word. We never change or infer it.
The dry-conditions read is ours alone and only appears when there's no ban. It counts consecutive days under 0.1 in of rain and the lowest humidity over that run (from Open-Meteo), and checks the National Weather Service for a Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch. We flag elevated risk after 7 dry days, or 4 dry days with humidity at or below 30%.
Check the burn ban from your phone
The free Discover Hochatown app for iPhone shows McCurtain County's burn-ban status and our dry-conditions read on its Today screen, and can send you opt-in weather and road-condition alerts. It doesn't send burn-ban notifications, so check before you light a fire.
Download on the App Store About the appBurn ban questions
Is McCurtain County under a burn ban today?
Yes. McCurtain County's official status on the Oklahoma Forestry Services burn ban map is "County Burn Ban" (last updated Mon, Sep 28, 10:31 AM CDT). Hochatown and Broken Bow are both in McCurtain County.
Can we use the fire pit at our Hochatown cabin?
Not without checking first. Under a county burn ban, open burning is restricted, and the exceptions are set out in the county commissioners' own resolution, so whether a fire pit, campfire or grill is allowed depends on that resolution. Check it, and your cabin's house rules, before lighting anything.
How long does a McCurtain County burn ban last?
A county burn ban is passed by the board of county commissioners and lasts no more than 14 days unless they rescind it sooner. If extreme fire danger continues, they can pass a new resolution, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
What happens if you break a burn ban in Oklahoma?
Violating a county burn ban is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, up to a year in jail, or both. A Governor's burn ban carries a fine of up to $1,000. Any law enforcement officer in the state can enforce either kind, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
Does "no burn ban" mean it is safe to have a fire?
Not necessarily. The county designation is binary and can stay at "None" through long dry spells. That's why this page adds our own unofficial read: we flag elevated fire risk after 7 days in a row without measurable rain, after 4 dry days with humidity down to 30% or lower, or whenever the National Weather Service has a Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch out. Based on recent rainfall and humidity, not an official county designation. Always check local rules before any open flame.
Where does this burn ban information come from?
The official status is read directly from the Oklahoma Forestry Services burn ban map, which is where county burn ban resolutions are posted. We check it at most every 15 minutes and show the county's wording exactly as published. The dry-conditions read uses recent rainfall and humidity from Open-Meteo and active alerts from the National Weather Service.