8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Summit County, Ohio.
Verified from official government sources
Summit County Public Health follows Ohio EPA rules: a recreational fire pit is fine without a permit if it burns clean seasoned firewood, is not used for waste disposal, and stays three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height.
OAC 3745-19-03 / Summit County Public Health
Use clean seasoned firewood or equivalent, or any clean burning fuel with emissions that are equivalent or lower than those caused by the burning of seasoned firewood. The wood stack is three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height.
Under Ohio's 2022 fireworks law (ORC Chapter 3743), adults may discharge 1.4G consumer fireworks on their own or authorized property on designated holidays, unless the local township, municipality, or county has banned or restricted them. Check your specific jurisdiction in Summit County.
ORC 3743.45
A county, with respect to the unincorporated territory of the county, a township, with respect to the unincorporated territory of the township, or a municipal corporation may do either of the following: (1) Restrict the dates and times a person may discharge, ignite, or explode fireworks purchased pursuant to this section. (2) Ban the discharge, ignition, or explosion of fireworks purchased pur...
Ohio bans open burning of brush, weeds, and grass outside municipalities from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October, and November (ORC 1503.18). Before any legal burn near woods, all surrounding flammable material must be cleared to a safe distance.
ORC 1503.18(C)
No person shall kindle or authorize another to kindle a fire in the open air, outside the limits of any municipal corporation or land controlled by any railroad company, for the purpose of burning wood, brush, weeds, grass, or rubbish of any kind between the hours of six a.m. and six p.m. during the months of March, April, May, October, and November in any year.
Open burning is prohibited in restricted areas of Summit County except for allowed recreational fires and limited yard-waste burning outside cities and villages. Ohio EPA rule OAC 3745-19-03 governs, and burning garbage, plastics, or off-site waste is never allowed anywhere in Ohio.
OAC 3745-19-03(A)
No person or property owner shall cause or allow open burning in a restricted area except as provided in paragraphs (B) to (D) of this rule or in section 3704.11 of the Revised Code.
Summit County, Ohio is not in a mapped wildfire-hazard zone like the western U.S., so there are no county wildland-urban-interface (WUI) codes. Instead, Ohio's Division of Forestry burn law (ORC 1503.18) protects woodlands during the high-risk spring and fall months.
ORC 1503.18(B)
No person shall kindle or authorize another to kindle a fire in or near any woodland, brushland, or land containing tree growth or in any place from which the fire is likely to escape unless all leaves, grass, wood, and inflammable material surrounding the place where the fire is kindled have first been removed to a safe distance and all other reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent i...
Ohio requires approved smoke detectors in every dwelling unit, installed just outside all sleeping rooms and audible in the bedrooms with doors closed (ORC 3781.104 and the Residential Code of Ohio). Landlords must provide working alarms in rentals.
ORC 3781.104(A)(1)
Each dwelling unit shall have smoke detector devices approved by the board and installed in the immediate vicinity but outside of all sleeping rooms. Alarm signaling devices shall be clearly audible in all bedrooms within the dwelling unit when all intervening doors are closed.
A backyard campfire or recreational fire is allowed in Summit County without a permit when it burns clean seasoned firewood, is not used for waste disposal, and stays three feet or less across and two feet or less high. Local fire departments may add rules.
OAC 3745-19-03(B)
Bonfires, campfires and outdoor fireplace equipment, whether for cooking food for human consumption, pleasure, religious, ceremonial, warmth, recreational, or similar purposes... a fuel area of three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height.
The Ohio Fire Code bars charcoal and open-flame cooking devices, and LP-gas (propane) grills, on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction in multi-family buildings. One- and two-family homes are exempt. Small one-pound propane devices have narrow exceptions.
Ohio Fire Code 308.1.4 (OAC 1301:7-7-03)
Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction. Exceptions: One- and two-family dwellings.
1 cities in Summit County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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