Fire pit rules in Birmingham, AL — also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances — cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Birmingham has no ordinance banning backyard fire pits, but the city sits inside Jefferson County, where the County Board of Health prohibits open outdoor burning April through October except for food preparation. A contained portable fire pit or grill used for cooking is the safest way to have a fire during the warm-weather ban; recreational fires are governed by the Alabama Fire Code (IFC) that Birmingham has adopted.
Birmingham adopts the Alabama Fire Code (the International Fire Code as adopted by the State Fire Marshal) and the Life Safety Code through Birmingham City Code section 7-1-8. Under the Alabama/International Fire Code, a 'recreational fire' is an outdoor fire with a fuel area three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height for pleasure, cooking, or warmth, and a portable outdoor fireplace must be used per the manufacturer's instructions. Layered on top of the fire code is the Jefferson County Board of Health Air Pollution Control Rules and Regulations (Chapter 5), which prohibit outdoor burning, except for the purposes of food preparation, from April through October when area air quality is at its worst. That means during the warm-weather months a fire pit used purely for ambiance can be a violation, while a grill or fire pit used to cook food is allowed. From November through March, open burning is allowed only with a JCDH authorization that imposes strict location and equipment rules.
Improper open burning in Jefferson County may result in substantial monetary penalties assessed by the JCDH Air and Radiation Protection Division. Fire-code violations under Birmingham City Code section 7-1-8 are enforced by the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Fire Prevention Division.
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