Tacoma, WA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Tacoma, WA, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Permit trigger (width)
- Fuel diameter over 3 feet
- Permit trigger (height)
- Height over 2 feet
- Below threshold
- No permit required
- Issuing agency
- Tacoma Fire Department
- Fee basis
- Set in annual Fee Schedule
Summary
Tacoma requires a Fire Department Bonfire Permit for any outdoor fire whose fuel bed exceeds three feet in diameter or two feet in height; smaller recreational fires need no permit.
Bonfire permit. A permit is required to have an outdoor fire with a fuel diameter greater than three feet and a height greater than two feet.
4. Indoor and outdoor booth-Assembly permit. A permit is required to operate a booth in Indoor and Outdoor Assembly events. For seasonal events that occur on a weekly basis, the season shall be considered an event. The fee scale for the number of booths is in the Fee Schedule.
5. LPG or natural gas use in assembly occupancy-Temporary use. A permit is required for the use of LPG or Natural Gas for cooking or demonstration and other purposes in an Assembly Occupancy.
6. LPG outdoor assembly-Temporary use. A permit is required for the use of LPG in Outdoor Assembly events. For seasonal events that reoccur on a weekly basis, the season shall be considered one event. The fee scale for the number of users is in the Fee Schedule.
7. Open flame in assembly permit. A permit is required for the use of open flame entertainment, such as Fire Acts, the use of candles, and Open flame devices in a place of Assembly.
8. Tents, canopies, and membrane structures permit. A permit is required for enclosed tents and membrane structures over 200 sq. ft. and canopies over 400 sq. ft.
B. Hazardous materials or processes.
1.
Full Breakdown
The Tacoma Fire Department's operational permit schedule sets the line between an ordinary backyard fire and a regulated bonfire: a Bonfire Permit is required only once the fuel pile passes three feet across or two feet high. Below that size, a homeowner can burn without applying for a permit, though the fire must still comply with the adopted International Fire Code's general safety and nuisance provisions enforced by the Fire Marshal. Anyone planning a large brush pile, event bonfire, or oversized recreational fire in Tacoma needs to apply through the Fire Prevention Division first.
Violations & Fines
Lighting an outdoor fire larger than the three-foot-diameter, two-foot-height threshold without first obtaining a Bonfire Permit from the Fire Department is a Fire Code violation the Prevention Division can cite and order extinguished.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a small backyard fire pit in Tacoma?
What size fire triggers Tacoma's Bonfire Permit requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
How Tacoma compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Tacoma to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
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