Arlington Heights, IL Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 27-102 locally rewrites several IFC sections on open flame. The definition of 'BONFIRE' in Section 202 is changed to 'an outdoor fire with a fuel area greater than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height utilized for ceremonial, pleasure, cooking, warmth, or similar purposes,' which is broader than fires kept inside a typical fire pit or barbecue. 1, General, gets new closing language: fuel for open burning must be seasoned firewood only, lit with a small quantity of paper, and the fire cannot be used for waste disposal.

1, Bonfires, is tightened by deleting the exception that let a bonfire skip the standard distance-from-structure rule if it was 'contained in a barbecue pit,' meaning that exception no longer shields a barbecue-pit-style fire from the code's placement requirements once it meets the local bonfire definition. 3, Portable Outdoor Fireplaces, replaces the model code's exception with a Village-specific one limited to portable outdoor fireplaces used at detached single-family dwellings. 1, lists 'Fire pits' with only the 'R' column marked, meaning a fire pit is a permitted obstruction in a required rear yard only, not a front or side yard. 00 range for failure to comply with a fire official's order.