Drought, Burn Bans and Clearing Your Yard in San Marcos
Central Texas drought keeps Hays County under frequent burn bans right when cedar and brush pile up. Here's the legal, one-pass way to clear a yard or storm job in San Marcos.
In this guide
- The burn ban is the norm, not the exception
- What you can't burn even without a ban
- Why the drop-offs don't solve it
- A container clears it in one pass
- Getting a container fast
Clearing cedar, brush and storm debris is a fact of life in the Hill Country - and in San Marcos it runs straight into Central Texas drought and the burn bans that come with it. If your plan was to burn the pile, here's why that's a problem and what works instead.
The burn ban is the norm, not the exception
Central Texas swings between flood and drought, and for long stretches Hays County sits under a burn ban that prohibits open burning. During a ban, burning brush isn't a legal option at all, and bans can last months.
Even outside a ban, TCEQ restricts open burning and prohibits burning construction and demolition debris entirely - so if your cleanup mixes brush with any building material, a fire is off the table regardless.
What you can't burn even without a ban
Pressure-treated lumber - old deck boards, fence posts, treated framing - can never be burned, because the preservatives turn toxic in smoke. Painted or engineered wood is the same.
So a cleanup that mixes cedar and brush with an old fence, a torn-out deck or renovation debris can't legally go up in one fire even when the timing seems fine.
Why the drop-offs don't solve it
San Marcos residents can take a few cubic yards of clean brush to the Texas Disposal Systems site in Creedmoor once a month - useful, but nowhere near enough for a real land-clearing or storm job, and for-hire haulers can't rely on it.
The county recycling centers take household trash, not a truckload of cedar and limbs. That gap is what a roll-off fills.
A container clears it in one pass
A dedicated dumpster lets you clear the whole job - cedar, brush, limbs, old fencing, torn-out landscaping - in one hauled load, legally, without waiting on a lifted ban or leaving a pile sitting for weeks.
Cedar and green debris are dense and heavy, so we'll size it to the load. Mixed soil and sod change the weight math, so tell us if you're regrading the rocky caliche ground too.
Getting a container fast
After a big storm we prioritize getting containers out so the cleanup can move. For a planned clearing job, book a few days ahead and we'll drop it where you're working.
One call, one flat price, and the brush leaves your property the legal way - no smoke, no fine, no lingering pile through a burn ban.
Book a container in San Marcos
One flat rate covering delivery, seven days, pickup and disposal.
(737) 214-1227Questions readers ask about this
Is Hays County usually under a burn ban?
Often, yes. Central Texas drought means Hays County sits under a burn ban for long stretches, prohibiting open burning. A container clears a yard or storm job without waiting on a lifted ban.
Can I burn brush mixed with old fencing or debris?
No. TCEQ prohibits burning construction debris, and treated lumber can never be burned. A mixed cleanup pile can't legally go up in one fire - a container clears it instead.
Can I take yard debris to a drop-off?
Residents can take a few cubic yards of clean brush to the TDS site in Creedmoor monthly, but that won't cover a real land-clearing or storm job, and haulers can't rely on it. A roll-off is the practical route.
How fast can you deliver after a storm?
We prioritize storm cleanup - usually next day, often same day - across San Marcos and Hays County to help the cleanup move quickly.