Medina, OH Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

05 governs recreational fires, bonfires, and portable outdoor fireplaces as a category separate from the general open-burning permit scheme. Subsection (a) bars kindling any open burning outside the section's own terms, and subsection (b) independently prohibits any open burning that is offensive or objectionable because of smoke emissions or hazardous given atmospheric conditions, regardless of size. The location standard in subsection (f) sets a 50-foot minimum distance from any structure for open burning generally, but subsection (g) carves out smaller fires: a fire in an approved container needs only 15 feet of clearance, and a pile three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height needs 25 feet.

The recreational-fire exception in (g)(2)B specifically caps recreational fires at a required 25-foot clearance from any structure or combustible material. Portable outdoor fireplaces get an even shorter 15-foot clearance under (g)(2)C, following the manufacturer's instructions, except that units used at one- and two-family dwellings are exempt from that distance rule entirely. Subsection (h) requires constant attendance of any recreational fire, bonfire, or portable fireplace until it is fully extinguished, plus a portable fire extinguisher rated at least 4-A, or another approved suppression tool like a hose or water barrel, on hand the whole time.