PID CITY, S.D. – Open burning is strictly prohibited today in Pennington County, South Dakota, as the National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index has reached the Very High- or Extreme-level categories. The restriction, effective Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, covers areas outside of municipalities and the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District.
Mandatory Open Burn Prohibition
The Rapid City area and surrounding county land, per Pennington County Board of Commissioners Ordinance #726, are currently under a mandatory ban on all open burning.
This prohibition specifically includes:
- Burn piles
- Slash
- Fires not fully enclosed
- Fires without a chimney or duct stack
The ordinance, approved May 18, 2021, and effective June 3, 2021, automatically enacts an open burning ban, including the use of burn barrels, whenever the National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index for the county reaches the Very High or Extreme levels.
Penalty for Violation
Pennington County officials are urging residents to take the advisory of “#onelessspark” seriously to prevent wildfires.
Violation of the open burning prohibition carries a severe penalty: a $500 fine or 30 days in jail, or both. The ban remains in effect until the National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index drops below the Very High category for Pennington County.
The National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index can be monitored online at https://www.weather.gov/unr/rfd. Further details on Pennington County’s burn regulations are available at https://www.pennco.org/burnregs.
