Cocoa, FL Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

5-51, part of the outdoor fires article added by Ordinance No. 02-2019, opens by finding that outdoor fires may pose a public nuisance if not adequately controlled and makes it unlawful to ignite or maintain an outdoor fire on property unless it complies with the section. Subsection (2) allows outdoor fires for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking or warmth purposes in the backyard of residential zoning districts. Subsection (3) requires the fire to be contained in a portable, outdoor, or solid-fuel burning fireplace built of steel, concrete, clay or other non-combustible material, with a total fuel area of three feet or less and a height of two feet or less.

Subsection (4) requires the fire to sit at least 15 feet from any structure or combustible material, and requires an adult attendant at all times with a garden hose connected to a reliable water supply ready to extinguish it. A fire official or other authority having jurisdiction can order immediate extinguishment of any outdoor fire, recreational or otherwise, that becomes a public nuisance, a hazard, or falls out of compliance, and the fire department can put it out itself if the responsible person does not comply.

A larger bonfire, one that does not fit the recreational-fire or portable-fireplace description, is treated separately and needs an open burn permit from the fire department.