Fire Regulations in Hendersonville, TN (2026)
8 verified fire regulations for Hendersonville, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
The Hendersonville Fire Department exempts cooking, ceremonial, and recreational fires - including backyard fire pits, chimineas, smokeless fire pits, barbecues, and outdoor fireplaces - from the open-burn permit requirement under the city's open-burning rules. The Department enforces the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) under Title 7 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code, effective July 1, 2025 (the prior adopted edition was the 2018 IFC effective June 13, 2017). IFC Section 307.4.2 requires recreational fires to be at least 25 feet from a structure or combustible material, attended at all times by an alert adult, and equipped with an extinguishment means (hose, bucket, or extinguisher) on site. The Fire Prevention Bureau (615-822-1119) is the local point of contact. Hendersonville fronts Old Hickory Lake; recreational fires on lakeside lots remain subject to the same 25-ft setback and wind-velocity limits.
Hendersonville TN Fire Pit Rules: Recreational Fires Exempt From Burn Permit; 25 ft Setback
Few RestrictionsFireworks
Title 7, Chapter 4 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code (Fireworks) requires a permit issued by the Fire Department for the discharge of consumer fireworks within the city limits. Under Section 7-402, permits are issued only for July 3 and July 4 from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Tennessee Code Annotated 68-104-116 (Local Regulation) expressly authorizes municipalities to regulate, restrict, or totally prohibit the sale and use of fireworks within their corporate limits even though TCA Chapter 68-104 otherwise legalizes consumer fireworks (DOT Class C / 1.4G) statewide. Sky lanterns are separately prohibited statewide for non-professional use under TCA 68-104-101(9) - only licensed fireworks professionals may operate them. Public fireworks displays in Hendersonville require both a State Fire Marshal's Office display operator's license and local Hendersonville Fire Marshal approval.
Hendersonville TN Fireworks: Permit Required; Issued Only July 3-4, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Heavy RestrictionsBrush Clearance
Hendersonville requires property owners to maintain their lots free of accumulated brush and overgrown vegetation under the City's property-maintenance provisions (enforced through Code Enforcement and the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code adopted effective July 1, 2025). Unlike many Tennessee cities, Hendersonville does allow controlled burning of brush within city limits - but only with a Controlled Burn Permit from the Fire Prevention Bureau (615-822-1119), and only for tree limbs and brush 'indigenous to the site of the burn' (grown on the property). Pile size is capped at 144 cubic feet (12 ft x 12 ft), the pile must be at least 50 feet from any structure, no burning above 10 mph sustained wind, no Sunday burning, hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the burn must be constantly attended with water or extinguishing equipment on site.
Hendersonville TN Brush Clearance: Property Maintenance + Burn Permit for Indigenous Brush
Some RestrictionsOutdoor Burning
A Controlled Burn Permit is required from the Hendersonville Fire Department for any open fire on private or commercial property within city limits, except for cooking, ceremonial, or recreational fires (which are exempt). Permits are obtained from any fire station (residential) or the Fire Marshal's office at 225 Freehill Road (commercial/contractors) and are valid for one week from issue. Burning is allowed only for trees, limbs, and brush indigenous to the site - no pallets, tires, construction debris, roofing, painted/treated wood, asbestos, pesticides, herbicides, or petroleum products. Burning hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday (no Sunday burning), and no burning is allowed when sustained winds exceed 10 mph. Outside city limits in unincorporated Sumner County, the Tennessee Division of Forestry requires a free burn permit October 15 through May 15 for burning within 500 ft of forestland or grassland under TCA 68-102. The Fire Marshal may invalidate permits during adverse weather (a city-wide burn ban was imposed in spring 2026 during drought).
Hendersonville TN Outdoor Burning: Controlled Burn Permit Required; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon-Sat
Some RestrictionsWildfire Zones
Hendersonville sits on Old Hickory Lake in Sumner County in Middle Tennessee and is not within a federally mapped Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zone. Tennessee does not adopt the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) statewide; TCA 68-120-101 establishes the 2018 IBC/IRC/IFC family as the statewide minimum and the State Fire Marshal's Office administers it. Wildfire-related controls in Hendersonville therefore come from (1) the City's Controlled Burn Permit regime under Title 7 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code and the 2021 IFC, which requires constant attendance, a 50-ft setback, a 10 mph wind limit, and a 144 cf pile cap on permitted brush burns; and (2) Tennessee's statewide outdoor-burning permit season under TCA 68-102 (October 15 to May 15) for areas within 500 ft of forestland or grassland in unincorporated Sumner County. The Fire Marshal may declare local burn bans during drought (one was imposed in spring 2026).
Hendersonville TN Wildfire Risk: Middle TN/Old Hickory Lake; No Federal WUI Designation
Few RestrictionsSmoke Detectors
Smoke alarm requirements in Hendersonville homes follow Tennessee Code Annotated 68-120-112 (Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in residential buildings) and the 2021 International Residential Code adopted locally effective July 1, 2025 under the Hendersonville Municipal Code (the prior adopted edition was the 2018 IRC). Smoke alarms must be installed in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on each story of the dwelling including basements, per IRC Section R314 and the manufacturer's instructions. In new construction, alarms must be hardwired with battery backup and interconnected. TCA 68-120-112 also requires carbon monoxide alarms in dwellings with fossil-fuel-burning appliances or attached garages. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office runs the statewide Get Alarmed, TN! program providing free 10-year sealed-battery smoke alarms to qualifying residents.
Hendersonville TN Smoke Alarms: TCA 68-120-112 + 2021 IRC (R314); SFMO Get Alarmed Program
Heavy RestrictionsBackyard Fires
Backyard fires in Hendersonville fall into three categories under Title 7 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code, which adopts the 2021 IFC (effective July 1, 2025): (1) cooking, ceremonial, and recreational fires - including backyard fire pits, chimineas, smokeless fire pits, barbecues, and outdoor fireplaces - are exempt from the Controlled Burn Permit requirement, subject to IFC 307.4 standards (25-ft setback from structures, adult attendance, extinguishment means on site); (2) brush burns require a Controlled Burn Permit from the Fire Prevention Bureau (615-822-1119) and are limited to indigenous trees/limbs/brush in 144 cubic foot piles with a 50-ft setback, attended at all times, only 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, no winds above 10 mph; (3) burning trash, pallets, treated wood, tires, painted material, asbestos, herbicides, pesticides, or petroleum products is prohibited regardless of containment under both city policy and TDEC Rule 1200-03-04. The Fire Marshal may declare burn bans during drought.
Hendersonville TN Backyard Fires: Fire Pits Exempt; Brush Burns Need Permit; 25 ft / 50 ft Setbacks
Some RestrictionsPropane Storage
Propane (LP-gas) storage, use, and dispensing in Hendersonville is regulated by the Tennessee LP-Gas Code (Tennessee adoption of NFPA 58) under the Liquefied Petroleum Safety Act of Tennessee (TCA Title 68, Chapter 135) and Tennessee Rules 0780-02-17, and by Chapter 61 (Liquefied Petroleum Gases) of the 2021 International Fire Code adopted locally effective July 1, 2025 under Title 7 of the Hendersonville Municipal Code. The State Fire Marshal's Office regulates LP-gas dealers, transporters, and bulk facilities; the Hendersonville Fire Marshal's Office enforces in-City installations. Container installations greater than 2,000 gallons single or 4,000 gallons aggregate water capacity require construction documents. Per IFC Chapter 61 and NFPA 58, LP-gas containers larger than 2.5 lb water capacity may not be operated or stored on combustible balconies of multi-family buildings (1- and 2-family dwellings and fully sprinklered buildings exempt).
Hendersonville TN Propane (LP-Gas) Storage: TN LP Gas Code (NFPA 58) + 2021 IFC Chapter 61
Some RestrictionsLooking for Sumner County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hendersonville city rules.
Fire Regulations in Sumner County →