Bend, OR Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Bend, OR, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- BC 5.30.005(B)(2)
- Size limit
- 3 feet in diameter
- Allowed types
- Campfires, warming fires, outdoor fireplaces
- Condition
- Subject to current fire code/permit
- Penalty
- Class B civil infraction, up to $400
- No printed setback
- Distance rules sit in fire code, not BC
Summary
Bend Code 5.30.005(B)(2) lets residents keep backyard campfires, warming fires and outdoor fireplaces going, but caps them at three feet in diameter and subjects them to the current fire code and any Fire Department permit. Anything bigger or outside those conditions is an unauthorized outdoor fire under BC 5.30.005(A).
B. The following open burning is allowed subject to compliance with the provisions in the most recent fire code as adopted by the City of Bend and the City of Bend Fire Department Outdoor Burning Regulations, including but not limited to any applicable permit requirements: ... 2. ... Campfires, warming fires, cooking fires, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kiln fires and other approved similar type fires that are not more than three feet in diameter; ... C. ... A violation of this section is a Class B civil infraction.
Full Breakdown
005 generally forbids starting or maintaining an outdoor fire in Bend, but subsection (B) lists the recreational fires the City still allows. Item (B)(2) covers campfires, warming fires, cooking fires, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kiln fires and other approved similar type fires that are not more than three feet in diameter. 005(B) also requires compliance with. The allowance sits alongside two others in the same subsection: fires the Fire Department itself starts or authorizes for training or fuel-reduction work, and government weed control within developed streets.
30. Building a fire pit bigger than three feet across, or an outdoor fireplace that exceeds it, drops the fire out of subsection (B) entirely and back into the flat prohibition in subsection (A), regardless of the fuel being burned.
Violations & Fines
A fire pit, campfire or outdoor fireplace larger than the three-foot diameter allowed by BC 5.30.005(B)(2), or one kept burning without required fire-code compliance, is an unauthorized outdoor fire under subsection (A). The violation is a Class B civil infraction under BC 1.40.080, carrying a maximum civil penalty of $400.00, and the Fire Department may confiscate or remove the fire's fuel at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can a fire pit be in Bend?
Does Bend require a permit for a backyard fire pit?
Is there a required distance from my house for a fire pit in Bend?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bend
How Bend compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Bend to another location·View the Oregon fire regulations overview
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