Fire Regulations in Lowell, MA (2026)
7 verified fire regulations for Lowell, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Lowell permits recreational fire pits on private residential property when fuel is clean seasoned wood and the fire is attended, but permits from the Lowell Fire Department are required for larger outdoor fires under Massachusetts fire code.
Lowell Fire Pit Rules
Some RestrictionsFireworks
All consumer fireworks are illegal for private use in Lowell and throughout Massachusetts under MGL c.148 s.39A. Possession, sale, and use are prohibited with no exceptions, and violators face seizure and fines.
Lowell Fireworks Rules
Heavy RestrictionsMass. Gen. Laws ch. 148, § 39 (Fireworks)
No person shall sell, or keep or offer for sale, or have in his possession, or under his control, or use, or explode, or cause to explode, any combustible or explosive composition or substance, or any combination of such compositions or substances, or any other article, which was prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonat...
Brush Clearance
Lowell property owners must keep yards and lots free of dead brush, tall grass, and fire hazards under the city nuisance ordinance and state fire code, though there are no wildland-urban interface clearance distances because Lowell is fully urbanized.
Lowell Brush Clearance Rules
Some RestrictionsMass. Gen. Laws ch. 48, § 13 (Open Burning Permit)
No person shall set, maintain or increase a fire in the open air at any time except by permission, covering a period not exceeding two days from the date thereof, granted by the forest warden or chief of the fire department in cities and towns, or, in cities having such an official, the fire commissioner; provided, that if such permission is not in writing, a written record of the granting ther...
Outdoor Burning
Open burning of brush is prohibited in Lowell because the city is classified as a non-burn community under 310 CMR 7.07. Residents cannot burn yard waste, leaves, or brush at any time of year.
Lowell Outdoor Burning Rules
Heavy RestrictionsMass. Gen. Laws ch. 48, § 13 (Open Burning Permit)
No person shall set, maintain or increase a fire in the open air at any time except by permission, covering a period not exceeding two days from the date thereof, granted by the forest warden or chief of the fire department in cities and towns, or, in cities having such an official, the fire commissioner; provided, that if such permission is not in writing, a written record of the granting ther...
Wildfire Zones
Lowell has no designated wildfire hazard zones because it is a fully urbanized mill city in the Merrimack Valley with limited wildland interface. The primary natural hazard is flooding from the Merrimack and Concord Rivers.
Lowell Wildfire Zones
Few RestrictionsSmoke Detectors
All Lowell residences must have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors meeting Massachusetts requirements under 527 CMR 1.00 and MGL c.148. A Fire Department inspection certificate is required before any residential property sale.
Lowell Smoke Detector Rules
Heavy RestrictionsMass. Gen. Laws ch. 148, § 26F (Smoke Detectors at Sale)
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 provided in section twenty-six E. The head of the fire department shall enforce the provisions of this section. The pro...
Backyard Fires
Small recreational campfires and cooking fires are allowed in Lowell backyards using clean firewood when properly attended and spaced from structures, but all brush and yard-waste burning is prohibited under the city non-burn designation.
Lowell Backyard Fire Rules
Some RestrictionsLooking for Middlesex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lowell city rules.
Fire Regulations in Middlesex County →