Fire Regulations in Nashua, NH (2026)
8 verified fire regulations for Nashua, New Hampshire, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Backyard fire pits, chimineas, fire bowls, and any open burning of solid fuel materials (other than charcoal) in Nashua require a burn permit from Nashua Fire Rescue under Chapter 110 (Burning, Open) of the City Code and RSA 227-L:17. Permits are issued free at nashuanh.burnpermits.com. Category 1 permits cover compliant campfires with a minimum 25-foot setback from any structure; Categories 2 and 3 require a 50-foot setback and a site visit. Burning is allowed only between 5:00 p.m. and midnight, weather permitting, and only when the ground is not snow-covered without a permit. The 2021 edition of NFPA 1 (Uniform Fire Code), adopted statewide effective August 13, 2024 under RSA 153, applies as the enforcement baseline.
Nashua Fire Pit Rules: Burn Permit Required Under Chapter 110 + NH State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021)
Heavy RestrictionsFireworks
Nashua City Code Chapter 160 (Fireworks) prohibits the sale, purchase, possession, use, or explosion of any fireworks without a permit issued in accordance with RSA 160-B and RSA 160-C. The ordinance further states that 'there shall be no permits granted, except to the City of Nashua for programs and displays under its control, for the sale, purchase, possession, use or explosion of Class C fireworks' - the consumer (permissible) fireworks otherwise allowed elsewhere in New Hampshire. The Fire Marshal may grant a permit for professional fireworks displays when proper safety is provided. For permitted displays, only color shells, cakes, and whistlers may be used, discharged, or displayed after 10:00 p.m.; salute, reports, and thunder-shell fireworks are prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Nashua is on the NH State Fire Marshal's Community Restrictions List as a city that does not allow permissible (consumer) fireworks.
Nashua Fireworks Ban: Chapter 160 Prohibits Class C Consumer Fireworks Citywide
Heavy RestrictionsBrush Clearance
Nashua does not have a stand-alone defensible-space or vegetation-clearance ordinance. Brush and combustible-vegetation hazards are addressed through the New Hampshire State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021 edition, adopted statewide effective August 13, 2024 under RSA 153) - including NFPA 1 provisions on outdoor accumulations of combustible waste - and through RSA 227-L (Woodland Fire Control), administered by the NH Division of Forests and Lands, which authorizes town forest fire wardens (the Nashua Fire Chief and designees) to require abatement of fire hazards on land adjacent to forest. Open burning of brush requires a Chapter 110 permit and a written RSA 227-L:17 permit from the forest fire warden.
Nashua Brush Clearance: No Stand-Alone Ordinance; NFPA 1 + RSA 227-L Apply
Some RestrictionsOutdoor Burning
All open burning in Nashua requires both a city permit from Nashua Fire Rescue under City Code § 110-2 (Chapter 110, Burning, Open) and a written forest-fire-warden permit under RSA 227-L:17 (Woodland Fire Control). The City Forest Fire Warden is the Nashua Fire Chief. Permits are free and issued through nashuanh.burnpermits.com in three categories: Category 1 (minimum 25-foot setback from any structure, applied for entirely online), Category 2 and Category 3 (minimum 50-foot setback, require a site visit). Burning is allowed between 5:00 p.m. and midnight, weather permitting. No permit is required only when the ground is completely covered with snow.
Nashua Outdoor Burning: § 110-2 Permit + RSA 227-L:17 Forest Fire Warden Permit
Heavy RestrictionsWildfire Zones
Nashua is a built-out southern New Hampshire suburban city with no formally mapped wildland-urban interface (WUI) zones and no stand-alone wildfire hazard ordinance. Wildfire risk inside the city is generally low compared with northern New Hampshire forest country, but vegetation along Mine Falls Park, the Nashua River corridor, the Pennichuck Brook watershed, and the Merrimack River edge can carry fire in drought conditions. State-level wildfire authority comes from RSA Chapter 227-L (Woodland Fire Control), administered by the NH Division of Forests and Lands, with the Nashua Fire Chief serving as the City Forest Fire Warden. The NH Forest Fire Danger ranking (Class I Low through Class V Extreme) can trigger statewide or regional burn suspensions independent of city permits.
Nashua Wildfire Zones: No Formal WUI Map; RSA 227-L Forest Fire Control Applies
Few RestrictionsSmoke Detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in Nashua dwellings are required under New Hampshire RSA 153:10-a (Automatic Fire Warning Devices and Carbon Monoxide Detection Devices in Dwellings), the New Hampshire State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021 ed.; NFPA 101, 2021 ed.; NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code), and the New Hampshire State Building Code adoption of the 2021 IRC (R314 Smoke Alarms, R315 Carbon Monoxide Alarms) under RSA Chapter 155-A. Smoke alarms are required in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every level. Carbon monoxide alarms are required in any dwelling unit with an attached garage or any fuel-burning appliance. Owners are responsible for installation and maintenance in rental units.
Nashua Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: RSA 153:10-a + NH Fire Code (NFPA 72) + IRC R314/R315
Heavy RestrictionsBackyard Fires
A backyard fire in Nashua - including any fire pit, chiminea, burn barrel, or campfire fueled by anything other than charcoal - requires both a city permit from Nashua Fire Rescue under City Code § 110-2 (Chapter 110, Burning, Open) and a written forest-fire-warden permit under RSA 227-L:17 (Woodland Fire Control). Permits are free through nashuanh.burnpermits.com and come in three categories with structure setbacks of 25 feet (Category 1) or 50 feet (Categories 2 and 3). Burning is allowed only between 5:00 p.m. and midnight, weather permitting. Propane, natural gas, and charcoal cooking grills are exempt from the open-burning permit requirement. The State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021 ed., adopted August 13, 2024) supplies the underlying life-safety standard.
Nashua Backyard Fires: Permit-Required Under § 110-2 + RSA 227-L:17
Heavy RestrictionsPropane Storage
Propane and LP-gas storage and use in Nashua are governed by the New Hampshire State Fire Code, which adopts NFPA 1 (Uniform Fire Code), 2021 edition, effective August 13, 2024 under RSA 153. NFPA 1 incorporates NFPA 58 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code) as the technical standard for LP-gas container storage, dispensing, transportation, and use. Residential consumer cylinders (typically 20-lb grill tanks) are allowed at one- and two-family dwellings with manufacturer-recommended clearances. Storage in public buildings is limited to 1-lb cylinders with a total of 200 lb of propane. Bulk and commercial installations require fire-prevention permits from the Nashua Fire Marshal under City Code Chapter 156 (Fire Prevention) and follow the separation distances in NFPA 58. Cooking grills on combustible balconies in multi-family buildings are restricted by NFPA 1.
Nashua Propane (LP-Gas) Storage Under NH State Fire Code (NFPA 1 + NFPA 58, 2021 ed.)
Some RestrictionsLooking for Hillsborough County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Nashua city rules.
Fire Regulations in Hillsborough County →