Henry County, GA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 3-4-113(d) of the open burning and air quality article carves out recreational burning as the one no-permit category available to residents. A recreational fire, also called a campfire or bonfire, is permitted both before and after dark, but it must be contained inside a ring, pit, or rock border; grass clippings or leaves cannot be burned as a recreational fire. The fire must be attended at all times by an adult and thoroughly extinguished when no longer in use, and it cannot exceed six feet by six feet by five feet, the same size cap the code applies to yard-debris burning under subsection (a)(5)(b).

Outdoor fireplaces, chimneys, fire bowls, and similar manufactured devices must be built and used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Recreational fires on commercial property are treated differently: they need authorization from the fire marshal before lighting, and a required site inspection can add extra fire and life-safety conditions. The fire chief or fire marshal retains override authority under subsection (e): if a recreational fire is judged a threat to public health, safety, or welfare despite otherwise complying with the rules, they can impose added precautions or ban burning at that location outright, and windy conditions (10 mph sustained or higher) or low-hanging smoke from overcast weather bar any burning under the article's general prohibitions.