Burlington, WI Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 155-41D of the Code of the City of Burlington, amended November 4, 2025 by Ordinance No. " No one may kindle a fire other than in a substantial container built of metal, concrete, brick or earth designed to keep burning material from escaping. , whichever comes first. The fire cannot sit within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material unless it is contained in an approved manner, and the total fire area is capped at three feet in diameter and two feet in height.

Only clean, dry wood may be burned, and flammable or combustible liquids can never be used to start it. A minimum of one attendant at least 16 years old, with an adequate means of extinguishment, must continuously watch the fire, and if it becomes a nuisance, unsafe or uncontrollable it has to be put out immediately. The Fire Department can prohibit all burning on days when atmospheric conditions are unacceptable. A separate, smaller category of portable fire pit under § 155-41C carries its own ten-foot clearance from any structure or overhang, must sit on a noncombustible surface, and is barred between midnight and sunrise. A violation of either provision is enforceable under the chapter's citation authority, § 155-54, and penalized under § 155-55A.