Fire pit rules in Pasco, WA — also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances — cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Pasco allows small recreational fires (cooking fires, campfires, fire pits, and outdoor fireplaces) inside the city without a permit, provided the fire is no larger than 3 feet by 2 feet, clearances to property lines and combustibles are met, and it is not a No-Burn Day. Larger recreational fires are prohibited within the Urban Growth Area.
Pasco's recreational fire rules flow from Pasco Municipal Code Chapter 16.65, which adopts and amends the International Fire Code (IFC). The City defines a recreational fire as a cooking fire, campfire, bonfire, or outdoor fireplace using charcoal or firewood for cooking or pleasure on private property. According to the City's Fire Prevention FAQs, recreational fires smaller than 3 feet by 2 feet 'are allowed at any time and do not require a permit' as long as minimum clearances to property lines and combustible materials are maintained and it is not a No-Burn Day. Any recreational fire larger than 3 feet by 2 feet is prohibited inside the Urban Growth Area. This is distinct from 'open burning' (yard debris, land clearing), which has been substantially banned within Pasco's Urban Growth Area since December 31, 2000. The City warns residents to keep fires attended, to keep a means of extinguishment on hand, and to avoid creating smoke that affects neighbors. Because Pasco sits in dry, shrub-steppe terrain in the Tri-Cities, the City and Pasco Fire Department can suspend recreational burning during high fire danger or air-quality No-Burn Days, when even small fires must wait. Manufactured gas or propane fire pits are treated as cooking/heating appliances under the IFC rather than 'open burning' and are generally allowed with normal clearance precautions.
Operating a recreational fire larger than the 3-foot-by-2-foot limit, burning on a declared No-Burn Day, or failing to keep required clearances to fences, structures, and combustible vegetation can be cited under PMC Chapter 16.65 and the adopted IFC. A recreational fire that creates a hazard or that is not attended may be ordered extinguished by the Pasco Fire Department, and continued or repeat violations are enforceable as fire-code infractions. Burning prohibited materials (garbage, plastics, treated wood, construction debris, etc.) in a fire pit is independently illegal under both PMC and Washington's clean-air rules. Confirm conditions with the Pasco Fire Department burn line at 509-545-3425 before lighting.
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