Scranton, PA Fire Regulations: Fire Pit Rules (2026)

Scranton adopts the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code through Chapter 243 of the Codified Ordinances (originally adopted by City Council on September 26, 1979), administered by the Scranton Bureau of Fire at 518 Mulberry Street. Because Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code at 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401-405 makes the International Fire Code the operative state standard for new construction permits, the IFC also applies to recreational fires through that state-law overlay. Under the operative recreational-fire standard, a 'recreational fire' is an outdoor fire burning materials other than rubbish where the fuel is not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, portable outdoor fireplace, barbecue grill, or barbecue pit, with a total fuel area no greater than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height, for pleasure, cooking, or warmth. Required practices include: a 25-foot setback from any structure or combustible material for open recreational fires and a 15-foot setback for portable outdoor fireplaces; burning only seasoned natural firewood (no leaves, yard waste, garbage, treated lumber, or construction debris); a constant adult attendant; an extinguisher, garden hose, or other approved means of extinguishment on site; and prompt extinguishment if smoke becomes a nuisance to neighbors. The Scranton Fire Prevention Officer (Daniel Frantz, 570-348-4164) may also prohibit any otherwise-legal fire when wind, drought, or atmospheric conditions make it hazardous, consistent with the BOCA/IFC discretionary stop-burn authority.