Fire Regulations in Charleston, SC (2026)
3 verified fire regulations for Charleston, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Charleston allows backyard fire pits and recreational fires only inside a purpose-built container, kept twenty-five feet from any structure or combustible material, constantly attended and backed by a portable fire extinguisher rated at least 4-A. A cooking pit is capped at three feet in diameter and two feet in height under City Code Section 13-10(c)(2) and (c)(3).
Charleston Outdoor Fire Pit Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsCharleston City Code § 13-10(c)(2)-(3)
(2)Fires set for recreational purposes if:a.Contained within a device designed for the purpose of containing recreational fires to include: portable fire places, chimeras, grills, woodstoves, etc.;b.Kept twenty-five (25) feet from any structure or combustible material;c.If the recreational fire is constantly attended until extinguished; andd.A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher with a mi...
Fireworks
Charleston bans using, possessing, selling or storing fireworks anywhere within city limits under City Code Section 13-191, with no exception for July 4th or New Year's. Only sparklers and low-explosive toy caps are carved out; everything else requires a public-display permit from the chief fire official under Section 13-192.
Charleston Fireworks Possession and Use Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCharleston City Code § 13-191
It shall be unlawful for any person to use, fire, shoot, discharge, sell, offer for sale, store, exchange, give away or possess any fireworks within the corporate limits of the city except for use in public display or exhibit under the provisions of section 13-192, except as provided by section 13-193, and except that the provisions of this article shall not include nor prevent the sale, posses...
Outdoor Burning
Charleston bans open burning citywide unless a fire falls into one of seven listed exceptions in City Code Section 13-10, covering contained cooking fires, recreational fire pits, backfiring, permitted heating equipment, firefighter training and hurricane-debris removal. Any other open flame outdoors is unlawful and can be ordered extinguished on the spot.
Charleston Open Burning Prohibition
Heavy RestrictionsCharleston City Code § 13-10(a),(b),(d)-(e)
(a)"Open burning" means the intentional burning of materials wherein products of combustion are emitted directly into the ambient air without passing through a stack or chimney from an enclosed chamber. For the purpose of this definition, a chamber shall be regarded as enclosed when, during the time combustion occurs, only apertures, ducts, stacks, flues or chimneys necessary to provide combust...
Looking for Charleston County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Charleston city rules.
Fire Regulations in Charleston County →