Yakima County, WA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Yakima County, WA, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Permit default
- Required for any outdoor fire
- Exempt clearance
- 30 feet from combustibles
- Attendant required
- Person 18 or older
- Wind limit
- Fires barred above 5 mph
- Coverage
- All of unincorporated Yakima County
Summary
Yakima County bans outdoor fires without a written permit under YCC § 13.12.100, but a fire pit, barbecue or fireplace on inhabited property is exempt if kept at least 30 feet from combustible material or non-fire-resistive vegetation. The rule applies countywide since risk-factor classification covers all of unincorporated Yakima County.
A104.7.1 General. No person shall build, ignite or maintain any outdoor fire of any kind for any purpose in or on any Wildland-Urban interface area, except by the authority of a written permit from a regulatory agency having jurisdictional authority. Exceptions: 1. Outdoor fires within inhabited premises or designated campsites where such fires are in a permanent barbecue, portable barbecue, outdoor fireplace, incinerator or grill and are a minimum of 30 feet (9 144 mm) from any combustible material or non-fire-resistive vegetation. 2. Outdoor fires as permitted on state and federal lands.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4871853; v6 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
1 to state that no person may build, ignite or maintain an outdoor fire of any kind in a Wildland-Urban Interface area without a written permit from the agency with jurisdiction. 050, the WUI designation covers all areas of Yakima County, classified by slope and fuel load from non-rated through extreme hazard, so the permit requirement is not confined to a narrow mapped zone. The code carves out two exceptions to the permit requirement: outdoor fires within inhabited premises or designated campsites, when contained in a permanent barbecue, portable barbecue, outdoor fireplace, incinerator or grill and kept at least 30 feet from combustible material or non-fire-resistive vegetation, and fires permitted on state or federal land.
2) bars any outdoor fire when wind exceeds five miles per hour, when no person 18 or older is present to watch and tend it, or once a public burn ban has been announced. 46. 020.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining an outdoor fire without a permit, or outside the 30-foot combustible clearance and inhabited-premises exception, violates § 13.12.100 (A104.7.1). Keeping a fire going in winds over five miles per hour, leaving it unattended by an adult, or continuing to burn after a public burn ban is announced violates the permit conditions in § 13.12.110 (A104.7.2), and enforcement runs through the Building Official and Fire Marshal under § 13.12.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a backyard fire pit in unincorporated Yakima County?
Can I use my fire pit when it's windy?
Does someone need to watch a fire pit while it burns?
What happens during a burn ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
How Yakima County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
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