Fire pit rules in Harford County, MD — also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances — cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Backyard fire pits and campfires are legal across Harford County. Maryland air-quality rules (COMAR 26.11.07) list recreational fires and cooking fires as exemptions from the open-fire prohibition, so a contained fire pit needs no burn permit.
Maryland regulates outdoor fires through COMAR 26.11.07 under the Department of the Environment. Regulation .02 bars open fires generally, but the exemptions cover "cooking of food on other than commercial premises" and "open fires for recreational purposes such as campfires," and those apply year-round in Harford County even during the June 1 to August 31 summer burn restriction. A backyard fire pit in Bel Air, Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, Fallston, or Joppatowne is treated as a recreational fire. Burn only clean, dry firewood, keep the fire attended and small, and have water or an extinguisher at hand. The State Fire Marshal's fire prevention code expects a safe distance from structures and property lines.
A recreational fire that escapes control or produces a nuisance of smoke can be extinguished by the fire department, and the person responsible faces liability for suppression costs plus MDE air-quality enforcement for burning prohibited materials.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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