Boston, MA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Boston requires a permit from the Fire Commissioner, issued under Chapter 355 of the Acts of 1943, for any open-air flame produced by an appliance or device, the category that covers backyard fire pits, chimineas, and torches. The permit caps the fire at 4 square feet in area. The standard fee is $50 for each monthly period the permit is exercised; if the permit is limited to a single estate, which is the typical homeowner scenario, the fee drops to $15 per monthly period. This 'small or torch' fire permit sits alongside two related permits in the same fee schedule: a fee-free permit for burning leaves, grass, and brush from a single estate, also capped at 4 square feet, and a separate permit for a larger open-air fire, priced at $80 for the first monthly period and $15 for each additional month, except that fires held in connection with a patriotic or public celebration carry no fee at all.

Both the 4-square-foot cap and the single-estate restriction are written directly into the permit the Fire Commissioner issues, so a backyard fire that grows past that footprint or that isn't confined to the applicant's own property falls outside the terms of the permit that authorized it.