Kenosha County, WI Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Kenosha County, WI, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Zoning permit required for fire pits
- No, § 12.05.020(e)
- Also exempt
- Sidewalks, walkways, most patios
- Patio exception
- Riparian-lot patios still need a permit
- Where the exemption applies
- Unincorporated towns with county zoning only
- General zoning penalty
- $10-$500 forfeiture, § 12.53.010
Summary
Kenosha County's zoning ordinance does not require a zoning permit to build a fire pit. Municipal Code § 12.05.020(e) lists fire pits, alongside sidewalks and walkways, among the improvements exempt from the permit process, an exemption that applies only in the towns that operate under county zoning, not the incorporated cities and villages.
Except for development and substantial improvements in the floodland districts, permits shall not be required for: (3/1/94) ... (e) Sidewalks, walkways, fire pits and patios, except patios located on riparian lots.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
" Fire pits carry no riparian carve-out, so the exemption reaches fire pits everywhere county zoning applies, including on shoreland parcels. The same subsection exempts other small improvements too: farm buildings not fixed to the ground, farm drainage and fencing, public utility lines, minor repairs that don't change a structure's cubic footage, accessory structures of 150 square feet or less and no taller than 15 feet, and dwelling steps and stairs. 020 still requires "full compliance with the provisions of this ordinance" for any use or development, and a fire pit remains subject to whatever district yard and setback rules the Department of Planning and Development applies to accessory improvements.
This chapter is the county's General Zoning and Shoreland/Floodplain Zoning Ordinance, which under Wisconsin law reaches only the towns that have adopted county zoning; the City of Kenosha, the City of Lake Geneva, and the villages of Pleasant Prairie, Somers, Paddock Lake, Twin Lakes, and Silver Lake each administer their own zoning and their own fire pit rules, separate from Chapter 12.
Violations & Fines
Because fire pits are exempt from the permit step, most enforcement issues involve other Chapter 12 standards rather than a missing permit. A general zoning violation under § 12.53.010 carries a forfeiture of not less than $10 nor more than $500 plus the costs of prosecution, with imprisonment in the County Jail of up to 30 days if unpaid; each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a fire pit in unincorporated Kenosha County?
Does the fire pit exemption apply inside the City of Kenosha?
Are patios treated the same as fire pits under § 12.05.020(e)?
If a fire pit needs no permit, can it still violate the zoning ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
How Kenosha County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Kenosha County to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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