Backyard recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Galveston County when no burn ban is active. State law bars igniting fireworks or open flames within 600 feet of churches, schools, and hospitals, and cities restrict open fires citywide.
The county cannot zone backyard activity, so a small recreational fire on unincorporated land is treated as outdoor burning: legal only when no commissioners-court burn ban is in effect and within TCEQ limits. Household trash burning is prohibited. Texas Occupations Code 2154.251 additionally forbids igniting fireworks within 600 feet of a church, hospital, licensed child-care center, or school without written permission, a distance rule residents should respect for any open flame near those uses. Inside Galveston, League City, and Texas City, the adopted fire code governs recreational fires, spacing from structures, and attendance requirements.
Burning during a burn ban is a Class C misdemeanor (up to $500). Fireworks near protected buildings and city fire-code breaches draw separate citations.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Galveston County's backyard fires rules stack up against other locations.
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