8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Cameron County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Residential fire pits are generally allowed in unincorporated Cameron County. During a Commissioners Court burn ban, ground fires are prohibited but residential fire pits and BBQ grills remain permitted. Cities may adopt stricter fire-pit rules within their limits.
Cameron County Outdoor Burn Ban Order
Ground fires, including the burning of trash, yard waste, or other materials directly on the ground, are prohibited during the burn ban. However, residential fire pits and BBQ grills are still permitted.
Consumer (1.4G) fireworks are legal in unincorporated Cameron County outside city limits and ETJ under state law. During drought or a burn ban, the Commissioners Court may restrict skyrockets and missiles, and outdoor burning of fireworks, as a Class C misdemeanor.
Tex. Local Gov't Code 352.051
Upon a determination...that drought conditions exist on average in a specified county, the commissioners court of the county by order may prohibit or restrict the sale or use of restricted fireworks in the unincorporated area of the county.
Cameron County sets no zoning-based defensible-space brush-clearance ordinance; Texas counties cannot zone. Overgrown lots are handled as nuisances under Health & Safety Code Chapter 343, and rural yard-waste burning is governed by TCEQ rules.
Texas law generally prohibits outdoor burning statewide, with limited exceptions for on-site residential yard waste where no trash collection exists. Cameron County's Commissioners Court can prohibit all outdoor burning during drought or wildfire conditions.
30 Tex. Admin. Code 111.201
No person may cause, suffer, allow, or permit any outdoor burning within the State of Texas, except as provided by this subchapter or by orders or permits of the commission.
Cameron County has no wildfire-hazard zoning overlay; Texas counties cannot zone. Wildfire risk is managed through Commissioners Court burn bans under LGC 352.081 and Texas A&M Forest Service drought monitoring, not mapped fire-severity zones.
Cameron County sets no county smoke-detector ordinance; Texas counties cannot zone or adopt building codes for existing homes. Smoke-alarm duties come from the state's building-code framework for new construction and Property Code rules for rental housing.
Contained recreational backyard fires are generally allowed in unincorporated Cameron County when no burn ban is active. During a Commissioners Court burn ban, ground fires are prohibited, though residential fire pits and BBQ grills stay permitted.
Tex. Local Gov't Code 352.081(h)
A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally violates a prohibition or restriction established by an order adopted under this section. An offense under this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.
Propane storage is regulated by the Railroad Commission of Texas, not Cameron County. State LP-Gas Safety Rules (16 TAC Ch. 9, adopting NFPA 58) preempt any county or city propane ordinance, so there is no separate county rule.
1 cities in Cameron County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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