Taylor, TX Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Taylor, TX, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- No, for recreational/ceremonial/cooking/warmth fires
- Maximum size
- 18 cubic feet (2' x 3' x 3')
- Setback
- 300 feet from occupied neighboring structure
- Allowed hours
- 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
- Maximum penalty
- $2,000 fine per day, fire-safety violation
Summary
Taylor lets residents light campfires, ceremonial fires, and cooking fires without a burn permit under City Code Sec. 9-77(c), but caps them at 18 cubic feet, roughly two feet high by three feet by three feet, and folds in the setback and timing rules written for permitted burns. Anything bigger, or burning household trash, needs a permit or is banned outright.
(c)Fires for recreation, ceremonies, cooking, or warmth (permit not required). Outdoor burning is allowed when used solely for recreational or ceremonial purposes, in the noncommercial preparation of food, or exclusively as a means of generating warmth in cold weather. As an example, campfires, ceremonial fires, and cooking fires are allowed. Requirements of section 9-78(3), (4), (5), (6), and (7) for an allowed outdoor burn apply to fires covered by this section. Burning shall not cause a nuisance or hazard. Fires covered under this section shall be no larger than 18 cubic feet (two feet in height x three feet in width x three feet in length). ... (6)Keep fires downwind of or at least 300 feet away from any neighboring structure that contains sensitive receptors.(7)Begin burning no earlier than one-hour after sunrise and end burning on the same day and no later than one-hour before sunset.
Full Breakdown
Section 9-77 of the fire code splits outdoor burning into four categories. Domestic waste can never be burned under subsection (a). Land-clearing and plant-growth maintenance burns on five-plus-acre tracts need a permit under subsections (b) and (d). Subsection (c) is the one that covers a backyard fire pit, campfire, or cooking fire: no permit is required as long as the fire is solely recreational, ceremonial, for cooking, or for warmth, and it stays within the 18-cubic-foot size limit (two feet tall, three feet wide, three feet long).
Critically, subsection (c) pulls in five of the numbered burn requirements from Sec. 9-78 even though no permit is issued: the fire must stay downwind of or at least 300 feet from any neighboring structure housing people, livestock, or sensitive vegetation (9-78(6)); it can only run between one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset (9-78(7)); a means to extinguish it must be on hand (9-78(5)); the fire must not smoke onto a road (9-78(4)); and it must not create a nuisance or hazard for neighbors.
The fire department can order any burn discontinued and treat it as a nuisance regardless of permit status. Sec. 9-80 sets the penalty structure that applies across the whole outdoor-burning division, including fires covered by subsection (c).
Violations & Fines
A violation of the outdoor-burning division, including an oversized or too-close recreational fire, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 9-80. The base fine is up to $500.00 per offense, but because outdoor burning is classified as a fire-safety matter, the penalty rises to a fine not exceeding $2,000.00 for each offense, and every day the violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a backyard fire pit in Taylor?
How big can my fire pit fire be?
How close can a fire pit be to my neighbor's house?
What time of day can I burn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Taylor
How Taylor compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Taylor to another location·View the Texas fire regulations overview
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