Backyard recreational fires are legal without a DNR permit if kept to campfire size (no more than 3 feet by 3 feet), contained, attended, and set well back from buildings. Burning garbage or leaves in the backyard is illegal. Cities set exact setbacks and can ban fires during dry spells.
A backyard fire in Dakota County is governed as a recreational fire under the Minnesota State Fire Code and the DNR campfire exemption: no permit is needed when the fire is 'not more than 3 feet in diameter by 3 feet high' with 5 feet of cleared ground around it. Fuel must be clean, dry wood. Open burning of household garbage, leaves, plastics, and treated wood is prohibited statewide (Minn. Stat. 88.171). Cities such as Hastings, Eagan, and Burnsville add setback (commonly 25 feet from structures), containment, and attendance requirements, and the DNR can suspend all backyard fires countywide when fire danger is high.
Fire departments can order a non-compliant fire extinguished and issue municipal citations; illegal open burning carries state fire-code penalties and suppression-cost liability.
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See how Dakota County's backyard fires rules stack up against other locations.
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