Charleston, SC Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 13-10 of the fire prevention chapter treats any recreational or cooking fire as regulated open burning unless it meets specific exceptions. Open burning is defined broadly as any intentional burning where combustion products vent directly to the air without passing through a stack or chimney, so any exception not listed in subsection (c) remains unlawful citywide under subsection (b). Recreational fires, portable fire pits, chimineas, grills and woodstoves, must be contained within a device built for that purpose, kept twenty-five feet from any structure or combustible material, attended at all times until extinguished, and paired with at least one portable fire extinguisher rated 4-A or equivalent on-site equipment such as dirt, sand, a water barrel or garden hose.

A separate allowance covers fires set directly in a pit for cooking food: the fuel area cannot exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height, the same twenty-five-foot setback from structures and combustible material applies, and the same extinguisher requirement applies. Cooking fires in a device designed for cooking over open flame (grills, smokers) fall under the shorter three-foot setback and attendance rule in subsection (c)(1) instead; the twenty-five-foot rule is specific to recreational fire pits and cooking pits set directly in the ground.

The fire department, police department and fire code officials may order any fire extinguished if it violates the section or creates a nuisance under Chapter 21, and Section 13-10(e) sets the penalty at a fine of up to $500.