Fire Regulations in Dubuque, IA (2026)
4 verified fire regulations for Dubuque, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Section 6-9-2(A)(3) of the Dubuque City Code exempts outdoor cooking, small wood fires consistent with the international fire code's recreational-fire provision, bonfires and prescribed fires from the city's general solid-waste burning ban. A bonfire still needs its own permit from the fire chief under section 6-9-3, so a backyard fire pit used for cooking or a small recreational fire is allowed without a permit, but a bonfire is not.
Dubuque Recreational Fire Pit and Bonfire Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 6-9-2(A)(3)
3. This subsection shall not apply to outdoor cooking using charcoal, natural or propane gas as a fuel, small wood fires consistent with section 307.3.2, recreational fires, of the international fire code, bonfires or prescribed fires as regulated by this chapter.
Fireworks
Dubuque allows consumer fireworks only on July 3, July 4, and December 31 during set hours, and only on your own property or with the property owner's consent. Discharging them on any street, park, or other public property is banned outright.
Fireworks Rules in Dubuque, Iowa
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 7-5A-10.D
7-5A-10: PROJECTILES, SLINGSHOTS, KNUCKLES OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIAL, OTHER WEAPONS, AND FIREWORKS: ... ... D. Discharging Fireworks. ... ... 3. Prohibition: No person shall discharge, fire, light, set off, or burn, or otherwise use any consumer fireworks, or other device containing any explosive except on the following dates and times and pursuant to the following conditions: a. Dates and tim...
Outdoor Burning
City Code section 6-9-2 makes it unlawful to burn or incinerate any solid waste in Dubuque except by permission of the city manager, covering wastepaper, boxes, building materials, yard waste and tree stumps. The city manager may separately permit limited yard waste burning when the city has met Iowa Department of Natural Resources air quality standards for the prior six months, and can cancel that permission immediately for bad weather or air conditions.
Dubuque Open Burning Ban and Permits
Significant RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 6-9-2
A. Solid Waste: ... 1. It shall be unlawful for any person to burn or incinerate any solid waste within the city except by permission of the city manager. This subsection shall apply to all solid waste as defined by the Iowa department of natural resources and shall specifically include all wastepaper, boxes, building materials, yard waste, tree stumps, and all other materials other than conven...
Smoke Detectors
Dubuque City Code section 6-9-6, adopted by Ordinance 9-22 on March 7, 2022, requires multi-station smoke alarms on every level of an existing building that is being renovated and holds a residential occupancy above another occupancy, when that renovation would not otherwise trigger a sprinkler or fire alarm system. The alarms must be interconnected, installed per the manufacturer's instructions, and placed on each level's public or common areas and the basement, at locations the Fire Marshall approves.
Dubuque Renovation Smoke Alarm Requirement
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 6-9-6
An existing building undergoing renovation of any level as defined in the International Existing Building Code that contains a Residential occupancy above any other occupancy, that would not otherwise require a sprinkler system or fire alarm system, shall be required to install multi-station smoke alarm(s) on each level of the building or structure in each public or common area and in the basem...