Open burning & fires across Vermont

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

50 of 277 municipalities in Vermont have an adopted ordinance on open burning & fires on file. Each row links the municipality's answer page and, where transcribed, the full text of the document.

MunicipalityAdopted documentKey factsVerified
Barre
City
Code of Ordinances Ch. 11, Sec. 11-4 - Open Fires
adopted 1983-01-13
— 2026-09-22
Berlin
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration
adopted 2002-06-17
— 2026-09-22
Bridgewater
Town
Town of Bridgewater Open Burning Ordinance — 2026-09-22
Brighton
Town
Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes — open-fire/incineration provisions
adopted 2009-04-21
— 2026-09-22
Burlington
City
Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Solid Waste, Section 14-7 (Open Fires and Incinerators)
+1 more
— 2026-09-22
Chelsea
Town
Town of Chelsea Civil Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration — 2026-09-22
Chester
Town
Town of Chester Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes
adopted 1996-07-17
— 2026-09-22
Colchester
Town
Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7: Fire Prevention and Protection Ordinance, Article IV (Municipal Open Burning Requirements)
adopted 2013-05-14
— 2026-09-22
Concord
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes
adopted 2000-08-08
— 2026-09-22
Derby
Town
Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Refuse — Article III Open Fires and Incinerators
adopted 2016-11-07
— 2026-09-22
Enosburg Falls
Village
Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes (Section 1001) — 2026-09-22
Essex
Town
Essex Municipal Code Title 5, Chapter 5.09 - Open Fires
adopted 1996-06-17
— 2026-09-22
Essex Junction
City
Municipal Code Chapter 6, Section 614 - Public Nuisance: Open Fires — 2026-09-22
Fairfax
Town
Chapter Two: Ordinance Regulating Open Burning and Incineration — 2026-09-22
Fairlee
Town
Town of Fairlee Solid Waste Disposal and Burning Ordinance - Open Burning — 2026-09-22
Ferrisburgh
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating Open Burning and Incineration — 2026-09-22
Glover
Town
Regulation of Solid Waste by Open Burning or Incineration in Glover — 2026-09-22
Groton
Town
Town of Groton Civil Ordinance Prohibiting the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration
adopted 2014-06-05
— 2026-09-22
Hardwick
Town
Town of Hardwick Civil Ordinance Regulation of Open Fires and Incineration/Solid Waste — 2026-09-22
Hartland
Town
Open Burning Ordinance (Town of Hartland) — 2026-09-22
Highgate
Town
Town of Highgate Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes — 2026-09-22
Huntington
Town
Ordinance Regarding Open Burning in Huntington, VT
adopted 2020-05-04
— 2026-09-22
Johnson
Town
Town of Johnson Ordinance Regulating Solid Waste Disposal and Open Burning — 2026-09-22
Lunenburg
Town
Lunenburg Open Burning Ordinance — 2026-09-22
Manchester
Village
Village of Manchester Revised Ordinances of 1984, as Amended, Effective July 1, 2016 - Section III No. 21, Burning
adopted 2016-07-01
— 2026-09-22
Middlebury
Town
Ordinance for the Regulation of Fires and Burning — 2026-09-22
Monkton
Town
Ordinance Regulating Open Burning — 2026-09-22
New Haven
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning
adopted 2019-04-23
— 2026-09-22
Newbury
Town
Town of Newbury Solid Waste Disposal and Burning Ordinance (burning provisions)
adopted 2017-06-21
— 2026-09-22
Old Bennington
Village
Bylaws and Ordinances (July 2024), Title 4 Ch.6 - Burning — 2026-09-22
Pawlet
Town
Notice of Adoption: Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning
adopted 2025-12-09
— 2026-09-22
Pittsford
Town
Town of Pittsford Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes (Open Burning Ordinance, last amended March 3, 2021)
adopted 2021-03-03
— 2026-09-22
Rutland
Town
Ordinance Regulating Open Burning and Incineration of Solid Waste — 2026-09-22
Salisbury
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning
adopted 2023-01-10
— 2026-09-22
Shaftsbury
Town
Solid Waste Burn Ordinance
adopted 2002-12-02
— 2026-09-22
Sheldon
Town
Town of Sheldon Fire Ordinance
adopted 1996-03-18
— 2026-09-22
Springfield
Town
Code Ch. 18, §18-82 - Permit Required for Open Burning — 2026-09-22
St. Albans
City
St. Albans Municipal Code Title 7, Chapter 7 - Other Prohibited Activities (Open Fires) — 2026-09-22
St. Albans
Town
Disposal of Solid Waste through Open Burning and Incineration Ordinance
adopted 2017-11-06
— 2026-09-22
St. Johnsbury
Town
Code of Civil Ordinances, Town of St. Johnsbury - Chapter 5, Article V (Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration)
adopted 2014-07-27
— 2026-09-22
Swanton
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes — 2026-09-22
Thetford
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration — 2026-09-22
Underhill
Town
Town of Underhill Nuisance Ordinance -- Objectionable Odors, Fumes & Smoke — 2026-09-22
Walden
Town
Civil Ordinance Prohibiting the Disposal of Solid Waste Through Open Burning and Incineration — 2026-09-22
Waterford
Town
Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes
adopted 2015-01-22
— 2026-09-22
Waterville
Town
Civil Ordinance Regulating the Burning and Disposal of Solid Wastes — 2026-09-22
Westford
Town
Ordinance to Regulate Open Fires
adopted 1996-04-22
— 2026-09-22
Windsor
Town
Title 12, Chapter 1 - Out-of-Doors Burning — 2026-09-22
Wolcott
Town
Wolcott Open Burning Ordinance
adopted 2002-05-01
— 2026-09-22
Woodbury
Town
Town of Woodbury Ordinance Regulating Open Burning and Incineration of Solid Waste
adopted 2017-09-11
— 2026-09-22

Nothing on file for open burning & fires

Absence here is explicit, not a gap: each municipality below was checked, and its status says why there is no document.

Checked, nothing adopted (4) — Mendon (2026-09-22), North Hero (2026-09-22), Wheelock (2026-09-22), Winooski (2026-09-22).

Other ordinances on file, none on this topic (184) — Addison, Alburgh, Alburgh, Andover, Arlington, Athens, Baltimore, Barnard, Barnet, Barre, Barton, Barton, Bellows Falls, Belvidere, Bennington, Benson, Berkshire, Bethel, Bolton, Bradford, Brandon, Brattleboro, Bridport, Bristol, Brookfield, Brookline, Brownington, Brunswick, Burke, Cabot, Cambridge, Canaan, Cavendish, Charleston, Charlotte, Chittenden, Clarendon, Corinth, Coventry, Craftsbury, Danby, Derby Line, Dorset, Dummerston, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Eden, Elmore, Fair Haven, Fairfield, Fletcher, Franklin, Grafton, Grand Isle, Granville, Greensboro, Guildhall, Guilford, Halifax, Hancock, Hartford, Hinesburg, Holland, Hyde Park, Hyde Park, Isle La Motte, Jacksonville, Jamaica, Jay, Johnson, Killington, Kirby, Landgrove, Leicester, Lemington, Lincoln, Londonderry, Lowell, Ludlow, Ludlow, Lyndon, Lyndonville, Maidstone, Manchester, Marlboro, Marshfield, Middlesex, Middletown Springs, Milton, Montgomery, Montpelier, Moretown, Morgan, Morristown, Morrisville, Mount Holly, Newfane, Newfane, Newport, Newport, North Bennington, North Troy, Northfield, Norton, Norwich, Orleans, Orwell, Panton, Peacham, Peru, Plainfield, Plymouth, Pomfret, Poultney, Pownal, Proctor, Putney, Randolph, Reading, Readsboro, Richford, Richmond, Ripton, Rochester, Rockingham, Roxbury, Royalton, Rupert, Rutland, Ryegate, Sandgate, Sharon, Sheffield, Shelburne, Shoreham, Shrewsbury, South Burlington, South Hero, St. George, Stamford, Stannard, Starksboro, Stockbridge, Stowe, Strafford, Stratton, Sunderland, Sutton, Swanton, Tinmouth, Topsham, Townshend, Troy, Tunbridge, Vernon, Vershire, Waitsfield, Wallingford, Wardsboro, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Weathersfield, Wells, West Burke, West Fairlee, West Haven, West Rutland, West Windsor, Westfield, Westminster, Westmore, Weybridge, Whiting, Whitingham, Williamstown, Williston, Wilmington, Windham, Winhall, Woodford, Woodstock, Woodstock, Worcester.

No ordinances published online (29, verified negatives) — Albany, Albany, Bloomfield, Braintree, Castleton, Cornwall, Danville, Derby Center, Dover, East Haven, Fayston, Georgia, Goshen, Granby, Hubbardton, Irasburg, Jeffersonville, Marshfield, Mount Tabor, Newark, Newbury, Saxtons River, Searsburg, Sudbury, Victory, Waltham, Wells River, Westminster, Weston.

Unconfirmed (10, leads but nothing verified) — Bakersfield, Calais, Cambridge, Enosburgh, Ira, Jericho, Orange, Pittsfield, Poultney, Vergennes.

Machine-readable: open-burning.json · Open burning & fires across every jurisdiction · All Vermont municipalities