Campfires and small recreational cooking or warmth fires are legal statewide as long as they burn only clean wood, cause no nuisance, and stay at least 25 feet from structures. Burning yard waste or trash in a backyard fire is not allowed.
State rule 15A NCAC 02D .1903(b)(3) exempts campfires and fires used solely for outdoor cooking, recreation, ceremony, or warmth from open-burning permits, provided they create no nuisance and burn no synthetic materials, refuse, or salvageable materials. The Fayetteville Fire Department and Cumberland County Fire Marshal apply the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code: a recreational fire is 3 feet or less across and 2 feet or less high and must stay at least 25 feet from combustible structures. Larger ceremonial bonfires over that size require a fire-code permit and a 50-foot clearance.
Fires that become a nuisance, burn prohibited materials, or exceed size limits without a permit can be extinguished and cited by the fire marshal.
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See how Cumberland County's backyard fires rules stack up against other locations.
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