7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Schenectady County, New York.
Verified from official government sources
Schenectady County follows New York State FCNYS 307 for recreational fires. Portable outdoor fireplaces must be at least 15 feet from structures; recreational fires limited to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet tall, 25 feet from combustibles.
Consumer fireworks (sparkling devices) are prohibited in Schenectady County. Under NYS Penal Law 270, counties must opt-in to allow sparklers, and Schenectady County has not opted in. Aerial fireworks remain illegal statewide.
No county-wide defensible space requirement. Property owners must maintain vegetation per local town property maintenance codes. NYS DEC enforces burn ban March 16 through May 14 annually.
NYS DEC regulation 6 NYCRR 215 prohibits most open burning statewide. Burning of brush is banned March 16 to May 14. Residential trash burning is always illegal in NY. Small cooking fires and campfires under 3 feet are allowed.
Schenectady County is not designated a high wildfire hazard area. No WUI building code overlay applies. The county has mixed suburban, rural, and agricultural land with low fire risk relative to western US regions.
NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code requires working smoke detectors in every sleeping area, outside each sleeping area, and on each floor. Since 2019, replacement detectors must be sealed 10-year battery or hardwired units.
Backyard recreational fires allowed under NYS FCNYS 307.4.2 subject to size limits (3 feet diameter, 2 feet height), 25-foot setback from structures, and constant adult attendance with extinguishing means available.
1 cities in Schenectady County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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