Birmingham, AL Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

Birmingham has no ordinance that flatly bans small backyard fires, but two layers of regulation control them. First, the Jefferson County Board of Health Air Pollution Control Rules (Chapter 5) prohibit outdoor burning April through October except for food preparation, so a pure recreational fire is generally only lawful November through March, and even then a JCDH authorization with strict location and equipment requirements applies. Second, Birmingham adopts the Alabama Fire Code (the International Fire Code) through Birmingham City Code section 7-1-8; under that code a 'recreational fire' is an outdoor fire with a total fuel area three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height burned for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, or warmth purposes, and it must be constantly attended with extinguishing means available. For anything larger - burning new ground, a field, grasslands, or woodlands over a quarter-acre - Code of Alabama section 9-13-11 requires a burning permit number obtained in advance from the Alabama Forestry Commission, which warns that 'if the proposed fire is less than 1/4 of an acre a permit is not necessary' but is otherwise mandatory and free at (800) 392-5679.