Fire Regulations in Cambridge, MA (2026)
7 verified fire regulations for Cambridge, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Cambridge allows only small recreational fires in approved portable devices under 527 CMR 1.00. Permits from Cambridge Fire are required for most outdoor burning given the citys density.
Cambridge Fire Pit Rules
Heavy RestrictionsFireworks
All consumer fireworks are illegal in Cambridge and statewide under MGL c.148 s.10A. Possession, sale, and use are criminal offenses, and only licensed professional displays are permitted.
Cambridge Fireworks Laws
Heavy RestrictionsBrush Clearance
Cambridge has no wildfire defensible-space rules but requires owners to keep lots free of overgrown brush and combustible debris under the property maintenance ordinance and MA Fire Code.
Cambridge Brush Clearance Rules
Some RestrictionsOutdoor Burning
Open burning is prohibited year-round in Cambridge. The state burn season under 310 CMR 7.07 (Jan 15 to May 1) excludes densely populated cities, so no residential brush burning is allowed.
Cambridge Outdoor Burning Rules
Heavy RestrictionsWildfire Zones
Cambridge is not located in any designated wildfire hazard zone. The city is a fully urbanized environment with no wildland-urban interface, so no California-style Fire Hazard Severity Zone rules apply here.
Cambridge Wildfire Zone Designations
Few RestrictionsSmoke Detectors
Cambridge enforces strict smoke and carbon monoxide detector rules under MGL c.148 s.26F and 527 CMR 1.00. Cambridge Fire Department inspects every home at point of sale and issues a required Certificate of Compliance.
Cambridge Smoke Detector Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsMGL Chapter 148, Section 26F
Section 26F: Residential buildings or structures; equipping with smoke detectors upon sale or transfer Section 26F. All buildings or structures occupied in whole or in part for residential purposes and not regulated by sections twenty-six A, twenty-six B or twenty-six C shall, upon the sale or transfer of such building or structure, be equipped by the seller with approved smoke detectors as pr...
Backyard Fires
Backyard fires are heavily restricted in Cambridge. Only small contained cooking fires in UL-listed devices are allowed, with no open ground fires and no brush or yard-waste burning anywhere.
Cambridge Backyard Fire Rules
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Middlesex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cambridge city rules.
Fire Regulations in Middlesex County →