8 rules for unincorporated Clackamas County, Oregon.
Verified from official government sources
Small recreational fires for warmth or cooking are allowed but must stay at least 50 feet from any structure and be attended and fully extinguished. Restrictions tighten during declared fire-danger or DEQ burn-ban periods in unincorporated Clackamas County.
Clackamas Fire District – Open Burning Guidelines
Open burning shall not be conducted within 50 feet of any structure or other combustible material.
Oregon law is restrictive. Legal retail 'consumer' fireworks may not fly more than 12 inches into the air or travel more than 6 feet on the ground. Bottle rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, missiles and M-80s are illegal statewide, even on July 4.
Oregon State Fire Marshal (per ORS 480.111–480.165)
Illegal fireworks include but are not limited to sky lanterns, missiles, rockets, firecrackers, cherry bombs, M-80s, Roman candles, and bottle rockets. Legal fireworks in Oregon include but are not limited to novelty devices, wheels, flitter sparklers, fountains, smoke devices, and ground spinners.
Under Oregon's SB 762 program, properties in the wildland-urban interface must maintain defensible space. Core standards include a noncombustible 5-foot zone next to structures, grass mowed under 4 inches, tree crowns spaced 10 feet apart, and ladder fuels removed.
OSFM Defensible Space guidance (per SB 762 / ORS 476.392)
Keep grass mowed to less than 4 inches. Space tree crowns at least 10 feet apart. Prune trees up 6ft from the ground. Use river rock, gravel, or pavers within 5ft of the structure.
In Clackamas Fire District's coverage area, backyard yard-debris burning is allowed only during two seasons — March 1–June 15 and October 1–December 15 — on approved days, outside the DEQ burn-ban boundary. No special permit is required, but you must call the daily burn line.
Clackamas Fire District – Backyard Burning Requirements
Backyard burn piles can be no larger than 10'x10'x10'. A maximum of two burn piles may be burned at any one time. Burn piles must be a minimum of 50 feet from a structure or other combustible materials.
Oregon's SB 762 wildfire hazard map classifies every property into risk classes and defines the wildland-urban interface. Much of eastern and Mt. Hood-corridor Clackamas County falls in high-risk WUI, triggering defensible-space and, for new builds, hardened-construction standards.
Oregon law (ORS 479.250–479.300) requires working smoke alarms in dwellings. For rentals, the owner must supply, install and maintain the required alarms; tenants test them. New construction follows the Oregon Residential Specialty Code for placement in every bedroom and on each level.
Wood backyard fires are treated as either recreational fires or open burning. Both must stay 50 feet from structures, be attended, and are suspended during summer fire season and DEQ burn bans. Yard-debris burning is limited to the two burn seasons on approved days.
Clackamas County has no separate propane ordinance; residential LP-gas storage follows the Oregon Fire Code (adopted IFC) enforced by the fire district. Small portable cylinders for grills are allowed, with limits on quantity stored indoors and required clearances for larger tanks.
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