5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Sumner County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Sumner County allows recreational backyard fires and fire pits across its suburban and rural neighborhoods. A contained fire under a spark screen needs no state burn permit, but drought burn bans and city fire codes still apply.
Tennessee Division of Forestry, Burn Permit Requirements (fires not requiring a permit)
Fires in containers/barrels with a 1/2" mesh screen cover
Consumer fireworks are legal in unincorporated Sumner County, but each city sets tight discharge windows. Gallatin allows them only July 1 to 4 and New Year's; Hendersonville and Portland limit them to narrow holiday hours too, so location matters.
City of Gallatin, TN, Fireworks discharge regulations
July 1 through July 4βThe permissible hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. except for July 4 when permissible hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Sumner County requires owners to keep lots free of overgrown brush and dead vegetation. Wildfire risk is modest in this rolling suburban-and-farm county, so enforcement centers on property maintenance and nuisance abatement rather than defensible-space mandates.
Outdoor burning in Sumner County requires a Tennessee Division of Forestry permit from October 15 to May 15 for leaf and debris piles. Burning household garbage, tires, and treated wood is always prohibited, and city limits are more restrictive.
Tennessee Division of Forestry, Burn Permit Requirements
From October 15 through May 15, a burn permit from the Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) is required for debris pile fires and prescribed fires.
Sumner County has no mapped wildfire hazard zones and no mandatory defensible-space rules. Its rolling farmland, lakeside suburbs, and small towns carry low wildfire risk, so fire prevention relies on brush maintenance and seasonal burn permits.
1 cities in Sumner County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Sumner County β parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Sumner County Ordinance Hub β