Roseville, MN Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 403.02(a) states that all open burning is prohibited in the city except as provided in subsection (b). Subsection (b) then allows recreational campfires, fire department training fires approved by the fire chief, and open burning of trees resulting from extensive storm damage at a central collection site when approved by the fire chief, and it attaches twelve requirements to recreational fires.

Setbacks depend on the enclosure. For permanent enclosures, which include fire pits dug into the ground or made out of stone, steel or other noncombustible material, the minimum distance to a structure or property line is 25 feet. For portable enclosures, including portable outdoor solid-fuel-burning fireplaces, it is 15 feet. The fire can be no more than three feet in diameter and four feet high, and no combustible materials can sit within a three-foot radius. Permitted fuels are charcoal or one-inch minimum diameter wood; trash, debris, grass, tree trimmings and leaves are not allowed. The fire must be used for cooking, social or recreational purposes, lasts at most four hours, must be constantly attended by a responsible adult, and needs a means of extinguishing it, such as a garden hose or a fire extinguisher. No recreational fire is allowed when winds are in excess of ten miles per hour.

Subsection (e) gives the fire marshal, fire inspector or fire chief authority to order extinguishment, in the fire codes official's sole discretion, when a fire creates or adds to a hazardous situation or a required permit has not been obtained. Subsection (c) assigns the fire chief or fire marshal to issue open burning permits for the purposes in subsection (b), and subsection (d) separately covers prairie grass burn permits with notice to owners within 350 feet.