Josephine County, OR Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Josephine County, OR, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Josephine County Code § 12.05.110
- Fires allowed only in
- designated stoves, fire pits, or fireplaces, when permitted
- Unattended fire
- separate violation, must be fully extinguished
- Enforcing agency
- Parks Director's designated Enforcement Officers
- Penalty
- unclassified violation fine, doubled for a corporation
- Park exclusion
- up to 60 days for refusing to leave
Summary
In Josephine County parks, county code makes it unlawful to build, light, start, or maintain any fire except in a stove, fire pit, or fireplace the park has designated for that use and only when permitted. A fire left unattended, one that risks surrounding grounds or buildings, or sparks and embers escaping the appliance are separately prohibited under Josephine County Code § 12.05.110.
§ 12.05.110. Prohibited acts – Fires. ... A. To build, light, start, or maintain a fire in any park except in stoves, fire pits or fireplaces specifically designated for such use when permitted; B. To leave a fire unattended at any time, or to fail to completely and safely extinguish a fire; ... D. To throw, deposit, carry or allow any burning material, including sparks and embers, outside a stove, fire pit or fireplace.
Full Breakdown
110 lists fire as one of five categories of prohibited acts. Subsection (A) bars building, lighting, starting, or maintaining a fire anywhere in a park except in a stove, fire pit, or fireplace that has been specifically designated for that use, and even then only when permitted. Subsection (B) makes it a separate violation to leave a fire unattended at any time or to fail to completely and safely extinguish it. Subsection (C) prohibits maintaining a fire that constitutes a hazard to surrounding grounds, buildings, or facilities, and subsection (D) bars throwing, depositing, carrying, or allowing burning material, including sparks and embers, outside the stove, fire pit, or fireplace.
080 unless the Director posts different hours, and the Director may close or restrict any park area to protect public health, safety, or park facilities. 180: the Circuit Court for Josephine County has jurisdiction, Enforcement Officers designated by the Parks Director issue citations, and violations are treated as unclassified violations carrying the fine schedule set by the State Court Administrator, doubled for a corporation. 200 in addition to a citation. This chapter reaches only the county park system; it does not create a general outdoor-burning or residential fire-pit standard for unincorporated Josephine County.
Violations & Fines
A citation for an illegal park fire is issued by a Parks Director-designated Enforcement Officer and prosecuted in Josephine County Circuit Court as an unclassified violation, with fines set by the State Court Administrator and doubled for a corporation (§ 12.05.180). Refusing to leave when ordered can bring a park exclusion of up to 60 days, longer for repeat violations, and a fire violation may also be abated as a public nuisance under § 12.05.200, on top of any citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a campfire at a Josephine County park?
What happens if I walk away from a park fire?
Are sparks or embers from a park fire pit regulated?
What's the penalty for an illegal fire in a Josephine County park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Josephine County
How Josephine County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Josephine County to another location·View the Oregon fire regulations overview
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