Bowling Green, KY Fire Regulations: Fire Pit Rules (2026)

Section 12-6.02 of the Bowling Green Code of Ordinances (Chapter XII Fire Prevention, Article 6 Open Burning) governs residential and recreational fires inside city limits. The fire 'must be contained to a fire pit, either commercially built or one constructed with brick, concrete, stone, or metal,' and the fire must be completely contained within that pit. A burn permit (no fee) issued by the Bowling Green Fire Department is required for any burning of permitted materials that is not contained to a fire pit. All such fires must be attended at all times by an individual over eighteen (18) years of age. Smoke and embers from the fire may not negatively affect neighboring property owners or create a risk of fire spread. The Bowling Green Fire Department restricts burnable materials to natural vegetation only; pallets, treated lumber, trash, plastics, and similar processed materials are prohibited (per the residential burn permit guidance). Portable fire pits are prohibited in Bowling Green city parks under the Department of Parks Rules and Regulations. The state baseline is the Kentucky Standards of Safety adopted under 815 KAR 10:060, supplementing the Kentucky Building Code (815 KAR 7:120, currently the 2018 KBC, 4th Edition, effective December 3, 2024). The Fire Chief or designee enforces KRS Chapter 227 and city fire-hazard ordinances under Section 12-1.02.