Portland, ME Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Sec. " The section also gives the issuing authority power to cancel any burning permit for cause, so an approved backyard fire can be shut down mid-season if conditions warrant it (drought, complaints, or noncompliance). The rules referenced in the permit condition come from Sec. 10-93, which authorizes the fire chief to promulgate "reasonable rules and regulations" governing outdoor burning; those rules must be in writing and cannot take effect until 30 days after issuance, and the code's editor's note directs residents to the Fire Prevention page of the city website for the current copy.

This two-layer structure, a code section requiring a permit, plus fire-chief rules filling in the operational detail (dates, hours, fuel type, weather restrictions), means the printed ordinance alone does not tell a resident everything they need; the permit itself and the chief's current rules control the specifics of a lawful campfire. Enforcement of Article VII, including campfire violations, is assigned to the police chief or a designee under Sec. 10-94, on top of the general Chapter 10 enforcement process in Sec. 10-25.