5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
Recreational fires are legal in every Hampshire County town, but any open-air fire needs a permit from the local fire department under MGL c.48 §13. A cooking fire on clear sand or gravel is exempt.
MGL c.48 §13
persons eighteen years of age or older may, without a permit, set, maintain or increase a reasonable fire for the purpose of cooking, upon sandy or gravelly land free from living or dead vegetation or upon sandy or rocky beaches bordering on tidewater, if the fire is enclosed within rocks, metal or other nonflammable material.
All consumer fireworks are illegal everywhere in Hampshire County under MGL c.148 §39 — including sparklers. Possession, use, and sale are banned statewide. Only licensed professional displays are permitted.
MGL c.148 §39
No person shall sell, or keep or offer for sale, or have in his possession, or under his control, or use, or explode, or cause to explode, any combustible or explosive composition or substance, or any combination of such compositions or substances, or any other article, which was prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonat...
Burning brush to clear vegetation in Hampshire County requires a fire department permit under MGL c.48 §13, allowed only during the January 15–May 1 open-burn season, with a 75-foot setback from dwellings.
MGL c.48 §13
No person shall set, maintain or increase a fire in the open air at any time except by permission, covering a period not exceeding two days from the date thereof, granted by the forest warden or chief of the fire department in cities and towns, or, in cities having such an official, the fire commissioner.
Open burning across Hampshire County is legal only January 15–May 1, and only with a permit from the local fire department under MGL c.48 §13. Each permit covers a maximum of two days.
MGL c.48 §13
Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 plus the cost of suppression or by imprisonment for not more than one month or both.
Massachusetts designates no regulatory wildfire hazard zones. Hampshire County's elevated-risk terrain — the forested Holyoke Range and Mount Tom slopes — is managed by the state DCR, not by zoning overlays.
1 cities in Hampshire County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Hampshire County Ordinance Hub →