Open burning & fires — Burlington, Vermont

Can I have a backyard fire? Do I need a burn permit?

The City of Burlington, Vermont has 2 adopted ordinances on file: Code of Ordinances Chapter 13 - Fire Protection and Prevention, Section 13-3 (Fires Prohibited); Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Solid Waste, Section 14-7 (Open Fires and Incinerators), verified 2026-09-22.

Code of Ordinances Chapter 13 - Fire Protection and Prevention, Section 13-3 (Fires Prohibited) adopted ordinance

Requires a written permit from the fire chief/deputy/fire warden before building any outside fire, open or in an incinerator/fireplace/receptacle, anywhere in the city; text confirmed directly.

Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Solid Waste, Section 14-7 (Open Fires and Incinerators) adopted ordinance

Solid Waste chapter separately addresses open fires and incinerators as a waste-disposal method, alongside the Fire Protection chapter's general burn-permit requirement.

Machine-readable: open-burning.json · Official website: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/ · Last verified 2026-09-22 · Open burning & fires across Vermont · Open burning & fires in other municipalities