Augusta-Richmond County, GA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 3-3-6 of the Fire Prevention chapter sets a flat 100-foot buffer: no outdoor open burning, defined as any fire whose combustion products vent directly into open air without passing through a stack, chimney or duct, may occur within that distance of a residential dwelling or any structure over 40 square feet, including sheds, garages, workshops and barns. Past the 100-foot line, the only lawful burning is leaves burned by the resident on whose property they fell, or burning covered by a Georgia Forestry Commission permit under the state's Environmental Protection Division air-quality rules.

Because most Augusta-Richmond residential lots do not have 100 feet of clearance from a neighboring house, this effectively rules out a recreational fire pit or bonfire in ordinary yards; it does not touch a charcoal grill, propane fire pit used for cooking, or other cooking appliance used to prepare food for immediate eating, which subsection (c) exempts outright regardless of distance. The rule reaches the whole consolidated government, not just the old unincorporated county; Blythe and Hephzibah, which kept their own municipal codes after the 1996 consolidation, are not covered by this section.

Enforcement runs through the Fire Department's bureau of fire prevention, whose inspectors can enter property under Sections 3-3-10 and 3-3-13 to investigate complaints and order hazardous burning stopped.