Meriden, CT Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Meriden Code § 107-17A regulates two distinct kinds of outdoor fire. The first sentence covers bonfires or open fires generally and requires a written Fire Marshal permit before kindling one anywhere in the City. The second sentence addresses fires kept in a proper receptacle, which covers a typical backyard fire pit or fire ring: no written permit is demanded for that category, but state law is preserved separately and the City requires that a person over the age of 14 be present and in charge of the fire for as long as it remains burning.

Subsection B, added May 17, 2010, layers additional conditions specific to any Fire Marshal-issued open-fire permit: only nonprocessed wood may be burned, the permit may be revoked at any time in the Fire Marshal's sole discretion for unsafe operation, burning prohibited material, or creating a smoke nuisance, and such permits are limited to residential home use only. The chapter also regulates the disposal of ashes and combustion byproducts under § 107-18, which bars depositing ashes, smoldering coals or embers within 10 feet of a wooden or plastered wall, fence, floor or other combustible material unless kept in a metallic or noncombustible receptacle set at least two feet from any combustible wall.

Enforcement of Chapter 107 runs through the Fire Marshal's citation authority under § 107-27, added September 3, 1996, which lists the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire Marshal as the officials empowered to issue citations for violations of the fire prevention chapter.