Portland, ME Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Portland Code of Ordinances Chapter 10 adopts NFPA 1 (Maine Fire Code) which contains general fire-safety vegetation-management requirements (NFPA 1 Chapter 10). However, Portland does not maintain a separate wildfire-zone ordinance with mandated brush-clearance distances — the densely-built urban core, Munjoy Hill, West End, and East End neighborhoods are not in the Maine Forest Service's Wildland-Urban Interface program. For brush, leaves, and other vegetative material, Portland follows the statewide framework: under 12 M.R.S. §9324 and the Maine Forest Service open-burning rules (06-096 C.M.R. ch. 102), no person may burn brush or yard debris out of doors without a permit. Permits are obtained free through the Maine Forest Service's online burn-permit portal or from the Portland Fire Department; they are issued day-by-day based on Class Day fire-danger rating and are not issued on Class 3, 4, or 5 days or during a red-flag warning. Burning plastic, rubber, styrofoam, metals, food waste, chemicals, treated wood, or other solid wastes is prohibited statewide. The Portland Fire Prevention Bureau also enforces NFPA 1 §10.10 (vegetation management on private property where vegetation creates a fire hazard).