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In a unanimous vote, the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors adopted a Burn Ban Ordinance during their board meeting on Monday, Dec. 11.

With the new ordinance comes the ability for the county to enact a county-wide burn ban if needed.

The decision to adopt a burn ban ordinance comes weeks following the decision of other surrounding counties to enact a county-wide burn ban during drought conditions.

Charlotte County did not have a burn ban during drought conditions, while other counties like Prince Edward and Lunenburg opted to do so.

County Administrator Dan Witt explained the reasoning. 

“Those two counties both had an ordinance in place allowing them to put a ban in place; Charlotte County did not,” Witt said. “This ordinance will allow a ban in the future if/when needed.”

Witt further said that the county could have implemented a burn ban in the case of a State emergency. 

Monday’s vote did not enact a county wide ban but simply gave county officials the option if needed. 

Virginia’s leading cause of wildfire is escaped debris burning and each year, more than 60 homes and other structures are damaged or destroyed by wildland fire.