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

Section 78-10, in Chapter 78's Article I general park regulations, is the Town's fire-safety rule for park visitors rather than a stand-alone fire code; it works alongside the New York State Fire Code and Chapter 128 (Garbage and Rubbish, referenced from § 78-21) for waste disposal. Subsection A permits fires only in fireplaces the Department of Parks provides for that purpose, or in portable grills that patrons bring themselves for use in areas the Town has designated for grilling; a fire anywhere else in a park, including on open sand or grass, is barred outright.

Any fire that is started must stay under the continuous care and direction of an adult from the moment it is kindled until it is fully extinguished, and no fire may be built within 10 feet of any tree or building or beneath tree branches or in underbrush, a distance rule aimed at preventing brush and structure fires from portable grills and picnic fires. The section separately bars throwing away or discarding any lighted match, cigar, cigarette or other lighted object anywhere in a park; those items must go into a suitable receptacle instead.

Subsection B adds a distinct sand-disposal rule: hot coals, ashes or embers cannot be dumped, laid or placed on or under the sand, a provision aimed squarely at beach parks where portable grills and picnic fires are common and buried embers pose a burn hazard to later beachgoers.