Edmonds's Fire Regulations: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles fire regulations a little differently. In Edmonds, Washington, there are 4 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Wildfire Zones

Edmonds has adopted the 2021 International Wildland Urban Interface Code, as amended by the state Building Code Council, to govern construction in the city's mapped wildfire-hazard interface. Inside that designated area, permit exemptions that normally cover minor work like sheds and low walls no longer apply.

Key details: Code adopted: 2021 International WUI Code, amended by WAC 51-55. Governing section: ECDC 19.52.000. Admin chapter: City's own IBC Ch. 1 provisions, not model Ch. 1. Permit exemptions: Narrowed inside the mapped interface (19.00.025(G)). Late-start penalty: Violation compliance fee, ECDC 19.70.020.

Work in the Wildland Urban Interface performed without the required permit, or begun before a permit is issued, is treated the same as any other unpermitted Title 19 work: the building official assesses a violation compliance fee under ECDC 19.70.020 on top of the standard permit fee, and paying it does not excuse the project from the rest of the code or from other penalties the law allows. The building official can also issue notices and orders and pursue the civil violation enforcement track in Chapter 20.110 ECDC to bring interface-area construction into compliance.

Fireworks

Edmonds bans the sale, possession, use, transfer, discharge or ignition of any fireworks within city limits, including so-called safe and sane consumer fireworks. Only a state-licensed public display authorized by a $500 city permit from the fire marshal, or an approved religious-organization display, is exempt. First offenses are $500 infractions; repeat violations become misdemeanors.

Key details: Governing chapter: ECC Chapter 5.27. General rule: All fireworks banned citywide. Public display permit fee: $500.00, plus inspection cost. Application deadline: 14 days before the event. First offense: $500.00 nontraffic infraction.

A first violation is a nontraffic infraction carrying a $500.00 total fine, including state public safety and education assessments. A second violation within five years, or any later one, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail. The police chief and fire marshal enforce Chapter 5.27 and may revoke a display permit on the spot for noncompliance or unsafe conditions.

This is one of the stricter rules in Edmonds's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Fire Pits & Backyard Fires

Edmonds bans outdoor burning citywide, but exempts small cooking fires burning only charcoal, natural gas, propane or seasoned natural wood, along with campfires at designated campgrounds and recreational or ceremonial fires regulated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. No fire permit is required for these exempt fires, but nuisance or air-quality-impairing fires must be extinguished immediately.

Key details: Small cooking fires: exempt: charcoal, gas, propane, seasoned wood. Campfires: exempt at designated campgrounds. Recreational/ceremonial fires: regulated by Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Permit: none required for exempt fires. County burn ban: suspends all exemptions.

A fire that falls outside these exemptions, that continues during an active Snohomish County air quality burn ban, or that creates a nuisance or air-quality impairment and is not immediately extinguished, is treated as unlawful outdoor burning under ECC 5.22.030(B) and (D), a gross misdemeanor. There is no separate lesser penalty carved out for fire-pit violations; they fall under the same gross-misdemeanor exposure as any other unlawful outdoor burning.

Outdoor Burning

Edmonds makes it unlawful to engage in outdoor burning anywhere within city limits, notwithstanding any other code provision, except for the narrow exceptions listed in the same chapter. A violation is a gross misdemeanor, with penalties now tied to state air-quality statutes RCW 70.94.430 and 70.94.431 rather than the city's older flat schedule.

Key details: General rule: outdoor burning unlawful citywide. Overrides: conflicting code provisions ('notwithstanding'). Offense level: gross misdemeanor. Penalty basis since 2001: RCW 70.94.430, 70.94.431. Lawful burning: only the chapter's listed exceptions.

Engaging in outdoor burning outside the chapter's listed exceptions is a gross misdemeanor under ECC 5.22.030(D). Since the ordinance's own flat penalty schedule expired December 31, 2000, sentencing now follows RCW 70.94.430 and 70.94.431 as those state clean-air statutes currently exist or are amended, rather than a fixed local fine amount.

This is one of the stricter rules in Edmonds's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Edmonds is tougher than many cities when it comes to fire regulations. Out of the 4 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Edmonds, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Edmonds's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.