Preparing for a mobile welder: access, grass fire risk and county burn bans

Clear the ground and the way in

Give the truck a clear route to the work, and give the work a clear circle. OSHA's welding standard for general industry, which is a useful yardstick even on a ranch, says to move combustibles at least 35 feet from the work site where practicable and to protect or shield anything that cannot be moved. It calls for a fire watch when combustibles are within 35 feet or are easily ignited by sparks, and for that watch to continue at least a half hour after the welding stops, to catch smoldering fires. It also requires suitable extinguishing equipment ready for instant use.

In practice that means mowing or scraping dry grass, moving hay, wood chips, pallets and fuel cans, parking vehicles upwind and keeping a hose or water within reach. A welder who arrives and asks for the area to be cleared is following good practice, not being fussy.

Who can order a burn ban in Texas

Texas Local Government Code section 352.081 lets a county commissioners court order a ban on outdoor burning in all or part of the unincorporated area of the county. The order needs either a drought determination from the Texas Forest Service or a court finding of a public safety hazard that burning would make worse. No order runs longer than 90 days, though a court can adopt a new one. Violating a ban is a Class C misdemeanor.

The statute exempts some burning, including burns authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for firefighter training, utilities, pipelines, mining and crop planting or harvesting, and burns by certified prescribed burn managers who meet the statute's insurance and standards requirements. Each county order can add its own details, which is why wording differs from county to county.

What four counties have said about welding

Towns on this site fall into four counties. The examples below show how different orders can read. They are dated records, not today's rules.

Cities and counties are different

Fort Bend County's Fire Marshal page says the office issues no outdoor burning permits in unincorporated areas, and that cities in the county have ordinances prohibiting all outdoor burning inside city limits. Katy lies across Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties, and some Katy addresses sit outside the city limits, so your mailing address does not tell you which rules apply. Ask the provider and the local fire department.

How to check the status on the day

• Open the Texas A&M Forest Service burn ban page for the statewide map and county drought values.
• Read the county Fire Marshal or Emergency Management page. Fort Bend's outdoor burning page links to the state maps and states the current status.
• Call the Fire Marshal's Office and say the work is welding or cutting, not burning.
• Tell the provider what you found. They may add a spotter, a water supply or a different start time, or reschedule.

After the last weld

Sparks can smolder in dry thatch or a wood fence for a long time. Stay near the work for at least half an hour and walk the area again before you leave it. Welders who take the watch seriously will often tell you to do exactly this. For the order of events on a visit, see what to ask a mobile welder, and for a rush call in dry conditions read urgent and same-week welding repairs. Acreage owners in Brookshire and Sealy will find the grass fire section of those guides most relevant.

Common questions