5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Whatcom County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Recreational fires are allowed throughout Whatcom County, including inside Bellingham and other urban growth areas. Fires over 3 feet wide or 2 feet high need a Northwest Clean Air Agency permit, and only clean firewood or charcoal may burn.
Northwest Clean Air Agency, Outdoor Burning (recreational fire rules), Whatcom County
Recreational Fires using charcoal or firewood for cooking or pleasure that are larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high require a permit.
Consumer fireworks are legal in unincorporated Whatcom County only on July 3-5 and December 31, within set hours. Bellingham bans all consumer fireworks year-round, and other cities set their own rules.
Whatcom County Fire Marshal, consumer fireworks discharge dates (2015 ordinance, WCC ch. 5.20)
July 3: 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM; July 4: 6:00 PM - Midnight; July 5: 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM; December 31: 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Whatcom County has no statewide defensible-space mandate, and its wet marine climate keeps wildfire risk lower than eastern Washington. Property owners must still keep lots free of nuisance vegetation, and Firewise practices are encouraged in the forested foothills.
Outdoor burning is permanently banned in every Whatcom County city and urban growth area, including Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, and Blaine. Outside those boundaries, residents may burn natural yard debris only with a Northwest Clean Air Agency permit.
Northwest Clean Air Agency, Outdoor Burning rules, Whatcom County
Outdoor burning is permanently banned in all cities, towns, and urban growth areas (UGAs - call your local planning department for UGA boundaries).
Whatcom County's wildfire hazard concentrates in the Mount Baker foothills and eastern wildland-urban interface, not the wet lowlands. Washington's building code adds interface construction standards, and DNR maps hazard areas for planning and insurance.
1 cities in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Whatcom County Ordinance Hub →