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

New Britain regulates most outdoor burning through a permitted, fee-based system in Sec. 8-36, but Sec. 8-36(m) exempts recreational fires from that permit process entirely. A campfire or bonfire made of nonprocessed wood for recreational or ceremonial purposes qualifies for the exemption only if it does not exceed four feet in any direction and the person lighting it has obtained written permission from the property owner before ignition; this exemption is separate from the cooking-fire exemption in Sec. 8-36(m)(1), which instead requires a fireplace or a manufactured cooking appliance.

Even an exempt fire pit remains subject to the article's general safety protocols in Sec. 8-36(l): a responsible adult must tend the fire at all times, and the fire marshal, fire chief or burn official can order it extinguished if it burns out of control enough to draw a fire department response. A fire pit that exceeds the four-foot limit, lacks the property owner's written permission, or sits within a public road or right-of-way loses the exemption and becomes an unpermitted open fire, prohibited outright under Sec.

8-36(c) and (o)(6). The New Britain Police Department, per Sec. 8-36(d), carries out enforcement of the article, and the fire marshal's office can also make the factual determination on whether a fire burned out of control for purposes of any prosecution.