Broome County, NY Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 305-22 sits in Article V, Air Pollution Control, of the county Sanitary Code. Subsection B(1) bars burning refuse in any open fire except as permitted by B(2). That subsection lists what's allowed 'when not prohibited by other local ordinances or other officials having jurisdiction, such as the State Commissioner of Conservation or local fire wardens': outdoor grills and fireplaces used to prepare food, and campfires or fires used solely for recreational purposes where a responsible party keeps them controlled and no nuisance results. The same subsection also permits, under narrower conditions, backyard rubbish burning of paper in unincorporated town areas under 30,000 population with no disposal service, agricultural tree-trimming burns kept away from populated areas, highway right-of-way brush clearing approved by the Commissioner, remote-area disposal of explosive or dangerous materials with Commissioner approval, and firefighter training burns supervised by qualified instructors.

Because the Sanitary Code's Health District rule expressly yields to municipal ordinances (§305-4(B)), any town, village or city in Broome County can adopt its own tighter burning restrictions, and Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott, Vestal, Union, Conklin and Chenango each administer fire safety separately from the county.