5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Benton County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Benton County when it is a burn day and no fire-danger ban is active. The arid Columbia Basin means summer bans are common. Propane and gas fire pits stay legal during most bans.
Unincorporated Benton County allows consumer fireworks from noon June 28 through noon July 5, but bans aerials, firecrackers, and rockets. When the Energy Release Component hits 17, the Fire Marshal can prohibit all fireworks. The Tri-Cities and Prosser set stricter rules.
Benton County Code Ch. 7.30, per Benton County Fire District No. 2
Fireworks can be purchased or discharged anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. beginning at noon on June 28th until noon on July 5th. The hours of discharge are extended until 12 a.m. (midnight) on July 4th.
Benton County requires owners to clear dry weeds, cheatgrass, and tumbleweeds that fuel rangeland fires. The semi-arid steppe west and south of the Tri-Cities burns fast in summer wind. Vacant lots and roadside fuels draw the most enforcement.
The Benton Clean Air Agency regulates outdoor burning countywide. Residents inside Urban Growth Areas cannot burn for disposal at all; those outside may burn only on approved burn days. Forecast wind over 20 mph shuts residential burning down.
Benton Clean Air Agency, Outdoor Burning Rules
When the surface wind speeds from the National Weather Service office in Pendleton, OR for the Columbia Basin are forecast to exceed 20 mph, residential burning will not be allowed.
Benton County sits in high rangeland wildfire country, with fast-moving grass and brush fires common each summer. Washington sets no mandatory defensible-space distance, but DNR's Firewise program and voluntary fuel breaks are strongly encouraged near the wildland-urban interface.
1 cities in Benton County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Benton County Ordinance Hub →