8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Yellowstone County, Montana.
Verified from official government sources
A recreational or cooking fire pit needs no burn permit in Yellowstone County if it is 48 inches or less in diameter and used only to cook food or recreationally. Only natural vegetation and clean fuel may be burned; no permit exemption applies to burning waste.
Yellowstone County DES Burn Permit FAQ (fire pit exemption)
No, IF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET: Has a diameter of 48 inches or less...Is only being used to cook food/recreationally.
Consumer fireworks are legal in Montana within statutory windows. State law limits retail sale to June 24-July 5 and December 29-31; discharge tracks those dates. Yellowstone County can further restrict or ban fireworks under fire restrictions, which it does in dry years.
MCA 50-37-106
A person, firm, or corporation may offer permissible fireworks...for sale at retail only during the following periods: (1) June 24 through July 5; and (2) December 29 through December 31.
Montana law makes landowners legally responsible for controlling noxious weeds and brush on their property. It is unlawful to let noxious weeds propagate or go to seed. Yellowstone County's Weed Department enforces the County Noxious Weed Management Act and can compel control.
MCA 7-22-2116(1)
It is unlawful for any person to permit any noxious weed to propagate or go to seed on the person's land.
Open burning of natural vegetation is allowed year-round in Yellowstone County but requires a burn permit from County Disaster & Emergency Services. Permits cost $8 the first year and $5 to renew, must be activated daily, and burning is only allowed sunrise to sunset.
Yellowstone County DES Open Burning Rules
Open burning may be conducted between January 1 and December 31....Natural vegetation is the ONLY thing that your burn permit allows you to burn....No fire shall be set between sunset and sunrise.
Yellowstone County has no California-style mapped wildfire hazard zones, but commissioners impose Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions in dry, high-danger periods. Stage 1 bans open fires and fireworks and limits smoking; only propane/LP-gas devices that turn on and off stay allowed.
Stage I Fire Restrictions (Montana standard order)
Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire except within a developed recreation site, fire ring or improved site is prohibited.
Montana law requires landlords to install an approved smoke detector (and carbon monoxide detector) in every rental dwelling unit and verify it works at move-in. Tenants must keep it working during the tenancy. New construction must meet the state-adopted International Fire Code.
MCA 70-24-303(1)(g)
shall install in each dwelling unit under the landlord's control an approved carbon monoxide detector...and an approved smoke detector, in accordance with rules adopted by the department of justice.
Small recreational backyard fires are allowed without a permit in Yellowstone County if the fire pit is 48 inches or less and used only for cooking or recreation. Burn only natural vegetation, never leave the fire unattended, and stop when fire restrictions are in effect.
Yellowstone County DES Burn Permit FAQ
You must have enough water, hand tools/equipment, and people to keep your fire under control....Burning is only allowed from sunrise to sunset.
Yellowstone County follows Montana's adopted International Fire Code (2021) for propane and LP-gas storage. The code limits LP-gas container sizes, storage locations and quantities. There is no unique county propane ordinance; state fire-code and NFPA 58 standards govern tanks and cylinders.
Montana Fire Code (IFC 2021) 308.1.4, Exception 3
LP-gas cooking devices having LP-gas container with a water capacity not greater than 2 1/2 pounds [nominal 1 pound (0.454 kg) LP-gas capacity].
1 cities in Yellowstone County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Yellowstone County Ordinance Hub →