5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
Gas-fueled fire pits are allowed county-wide under 527 CMR 1.0. Wood-burning fire pits are banned in Boston and Chelsea but may be allowed seasonally in Revere.
All consumer fireworks are illegal statewide in Massachusetts under MGL c. 148 §39. This applies uniformly to all cities in Suffolk County. No county-level ordinance exists. Licensed professional displays only under §39A.
MGL c. 148, § 39 (Sales, possession, use of fireworks; penalties)
Section 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...
Suffolk County may require vegetation management for fire safety. MA does not have a statewide defensible space mandate. Local property maintenance applies.
Open burning is BANNED in all cities within Suffolk County — Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop are all among the ~22 Massachusetts cities that permanently prohibit outdoor burning. No county-level rule; each city's fire department enforces the ban.
MGL c. 48, § 13 (Setting open air fires; conditions and restrictions; penalty for violation)
Section 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; provided, that if such permission is not in writing, a written record of the g...
Suffolk County is urban and not designated as a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) area — wildfire hazard zone regulations used in western states do not apply. MA enforces statewide open-burning rules (MGL c. 48, §13) and 527 CMR 1.00 fire safety code. Open burning is banned year-round in Boston, Chelsea, and most of Suffolk County due to urban density.
3 cities in Suffolk County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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