Nashua, NH Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

'Backyard fire' in Nashua is regulated as open burning under two layers of authority: (1) Nashua City Code § 110-2 (Chapter 110, Burning, Open) - 'no person shall kindle or cause to be burned any material in an open fire on public or private property without first obtaining a permit from the Fire Department, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.' (2) RSA 227-L:17 (Permits; Damages; Penalties) - 'no person, firm, or corporation shall kindle or cause to be kindled any fire... except when the ground is covered with snow, without first obtaining a written permit from the forest fire warden.' Nashua Fire Rescue administers a tiered online permit system at nashuanh.burnpermits.com. Category 1 covers small backyard campfires and fire pits with a minimum 25-foot setback from any structure and can be applied for entirely online; seasonal Category 1 permits must be renewed each calendar year. Categories 2 and 3 cover larger fires and require a minimum 50-foot setback and a Nashua Fire Rescue site visit before issuance. A permit is required for any open burning of solid-fuel materials except charcoal - so propane grills, natural-gas grills, and charcoal barbeques do not require a burn permit, but a backyard wood-burning fire pit, chiminea, or burn barrel does. Burning hours are 5:00 p.m. to midnight, weather permitting. Permits are not valid on Class V Extreme fire-danger days declared by the NH Division of Forests and Lands. The State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021 ed., adopted under RSA 153) supplies general life-safety standards and may impose additional clearance and attendance requirements similar to International Fire Code recreational-fire rules (a typical 25-foot setback from combustibles, constantly attended until extinguished, with a means of extinguishment available).