Newton County, GA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Sec. 36-132 requires a permit to burn before kindling any rubbish fire on private land in unincorporated Newton County; permits are obtained by calling the county fire department's automated line, leaving a name, address, burn location and phone number, which serves as the burn authorization. Sec. 36-133 then sets the safety precautions that apply once a permit is issued. No building or structure may sit within 50 feet of the fire's actual or proposed location, and the person burning must take adequate steps to keep the fire from spreading within that 50-foot buffer.

The fire must be contained in an approved waste burner located at least 50 feet from any building, or on larger clearing burns the caller must first contact the local forestry office, which notifies the county fire service if it issues a permit. Every bonfire or rubbish fire must be constantly attended by a competent person until it is fully extinguished, and that person must have adequate water supply or fire-extinguishing equipment on hand. Sec. 36-134 allows controlled agricultural burns on farmland and woodland without these restrictions, provided the person in charge still obtains a burn permit so county and state forestry agencies know the date, time and scope.

Sec. 36-135 assigns a daily burn classification from the Newton-Rockdale forestry unit; the automated permit line tells each caller whether that day is a burn day, and Sec. 36-136 bars burning construction and demolition debris such as treated lumber, shingles or sheet rock outright, though untreated dimensional lumber may go in a burn container under the Sec. 36-133 conditions.