Champaign, IL Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 15-20(e) sets six conditions a recreational campfire must meet before it is legal in Champaign. The fire itself must be contained either in a metal container no larger than 20 square feet of plane surface area and raised no more than 10 inches above grade, or in a pit dug in cleared earth and enclosed on the sides by masonry or rock, again capped at 20 square feet. Every tree, fence, deck, and other structure on the property must stand at least 10 feet from that enclosure or pit.

Fuel is restricted to untreated logs or branches or commercially available charcoal briquettes, with only a designed starter fuel allowed to ignite it; no other accelerant is permitted. A responsible adult at least 18 years old must be present the entire time the fire burns, and once that supervision ends the fire must be doused with water and the coals spread out inside the enclosure. Any Fire Department employee responding to the scene can order the fire extinguished if, in that employee's opinion, smoke or fire risks injuring someone or damaging property, and the section separately requires the property owner's consent before any campfire is lit there.

Section 15-20(g) covers a different category, special recreational fires for events like pep rallies, which need the Fire Chief's written permission and are not the same authorization as an ordinary backyard campfire. Enforcement of Section 15-20 falls to the Fire Chief or the Police Chief, or either official's designee, under subsection (i).