8 rules for unincorporated Collier County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Collier County's fire prevention policy exempts small recreational fires and cooking fires from the open-burning permit, as long as they are not used to dispose of vegetation or trash, are conducted safely, and stay on your own property.
Collier County Fire Prevention Code Policy OPB 09-1
Exception: Cooking fires and small recreational fires not intended for vegetation or rubbish disposal when conducted safely and on the property of the subject.
Florida law lets residents use consumer fireworks only on New Year's Day, July 4, and New Year's Eve. Collier County cannot ban them on those three days. Sparklers stay legal year-round; HOA covenants may still restrict use.
FS 791.08
'Designated holiday' means: (a) New Year's Day, January 1; (b) Independence Day, July 4; or (c) New Year's Eve, December 31.... This chapter does not prohibit the use of fireworks solely and exclusively during a designated holiday.
Collier County's Land Development Code encourages wildfire-safe clearing. Firewise guidance recommends clearing vegetation within 30 feet of structures as defensible space, and single-family lots in Golden Gate Estates may clear up to one acre without a separate vegetation-removal permit.
Collier County LDC 3.05.05.I; 3.05.02.F.1
Clearing within 30 feet of structures is the defensible space recommended by firewise.org. This is usually done with initial clearing for home site... Removal of tall grasses and vines is recommended and does not require a vegetation removal permit.
Open outdoor fires, incinerators, and outdoor fireplaces require a permit in Collier County. You must obtain approval from your local fire district and, where applicable, an open-burn authorization from the Florida Forest Service before burning yard waste.
Collier County Fire Prevention Code Policy OPB 09-1
Permits are required for Open Outdoor Fires, Incinerators, and Outdoor Fireplaces. Permits shall be sought from the Fire District where the burning is to take place and from the Florida Division of Forestry when applicable.
Collier County sits in a high wildfire-risk region—Golden Gate Estates, Picayune Strand, and Big Cypress. The Land Development Code requires wildfire mitigation planning in the Rural Fringe Mixed Use District and allows brush clearing within 200 feet of structures to cut fuel.
Collier County LDC 3.05.07.C.4
For properties within the RFMUD, a general exception is included in the LDC for smaller non-conforming lots within the RFMUD to allow for clearing of brush and understory vegetation within 200 feet of structures to minimize wildfire fuel sources.
Florida requires working smoke alarms in all dwellings. Battery-powered alarms installed or replaced in one- and two-family homes and townhomes must use a sealed 10-year, nonremovable, nonreplaceable battery, per state statute enforced through the Florida Building Code.
FS 553.883
A battery-powered smoke alarm that is newly installed or replaces an existing battery-powered smoke alarm must be powered by a nonremovable, nonreplaceable battery that powers the alarm for at least 10 years.
Small backyard recreational fires are normally permit-free in Collier County, but when the Governor declares a drought state of emergency, campfires, bonfires, and barrel burning are prohibited countywide for the duration of the emergency to prevent wildfires.
Collier County Fire Prevention Code Policy OPB 09-1
there shall become effective a prohibition against kindling, creating or maintaining any campfire, bonfire, open or barrel burning of trash, discarding of lighted smoking materials outdoors, smoking in county parks, and the sale of fireworks.
Collier County follows Florida's LP Gas law and NFPA 58, adopted into the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Small grill cylinders of 40 pounds or less for outdoor equipment are exempt from dealer rules, but placement and separation distances follow NFPA 58.
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