Skokie, IL Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Open burning is generally illegal in Skokie under Section 50-44, but subsection (b) creates a specific exception for outdoor fireplaces and fire pits. To burn legally in one, six conditions must all be met: the fuel must be charcoal, propane gas, dry seasoned firewood, or commercial fire logs; the fireplace or cooking unit must be raised above ground level; it must be constructed of noncombustible brick, stone, or metal and be a commercially designed unit for outdoor fire or cooking kept in good working order; if it is movable, it must sit on a noncombustible surface and be kept a safe and reasonable distance from anything combustible; an adult must directly attend and supervise it at all times it is in use; and the fire must be completely extinguished before anyone leaves it unattended.

A homemade in-ground pit, a pile of logs on bare grass, or an unattended chiminea left burning while residents go inside all fall outside this exception and are treated as prohibited open burning. The rule sits in Article II of Chapter 50, the Fire Prevention Code article, which the village adopted by reference from the 2021 International Fire Code and 2021 NFPA Life Safety Code (Section 50-31), with the Fire Chief and subordinate fire inspectors responsible for enforcement under Section 50-32. Because the ordinance regulates use and materials rather than a fixed foot-measured setback from property lines, compliance turns on the unit's construction, placement on a noncombustible pad, and continuous adult attendance rather than a distance table.

Skokie's Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 118) may impose additional yard or lot-coverage limits on permanent accessory structures, but the burning conditions themselves come entirely from Section 50-44(b).