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

Jacksonville's Ordinance Code lets residents burn a campfire for recreation, ceremonies, outdoor cooking, or warming outdoor workers without a permit from the Neighborhoods Department, as long as it doesn't throw off excessive visible emissions. Anything bigger, a bonfire, is separately regulated: you need permission from the Chief, Fire Prevention first, and on private land the fire must sit at least 50 feet from any structure with steps taken to keep it from spreading closer than that. A competent person has to stay with a bonfire the whole time it burns, with a connected garden hose or other extinguishing equipment on hand, and the Fire and Rescue Director can ban bonfires and other open burning outright when weather or local conditions make them hazardous.