Not knowing about Burleigh County's burn ban won't be an excuse anymore.

Burleigh County Sheriff's Department officials met with Burleigh County state's attorney's office officials Tuesday, and since then every report of a burn ban violation has been forwarded to the prosecutors, Sgt. Steve Hall said .

No charges have been filed yet, he said.

The Burleigh County burn ban was put in place on April 4 and was extended indefinitely by the county commission on Monday.

Open burning is prohibited under the ban, but several people involved in controlled burns since last week have said they were unaware of the ban. That won't be a good enough excuse to get away from a burn ban violation charge anymore, Hall said.

"It's been widely publicized," he said.

Also, the small amount of rain that fell on Bismarck Thursday also won't justify burning.

"Until the ban is lifted, they can't just go by the weather," Hall said.

Violating a burn ban is an infraction, punishable by up to a fine of up to $500. A second offense is a Class Bmisdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

- JennyMichael