Tucson, AZ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Tucson, AZ, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Backyard cooking fires
- exempt from permit, § 11-8
- Other open fires/bonfires
- permit required, § 11-6
- Permit issuer
- Tucson fire chief, § 11-7
- Permit cost
- no charge, § 11-7
- Max permit duration
- six months, § 11-9
- Smoke travel limit
- 100 feet where buildings are close, § 11-7
Summary
Tucson Code § 11-8 exempts homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills and similar cooking devices from the citywide open-fire permit that § 11-6 otherwise requires for any bonfire, incinerator or open fire kindled outside a building. A true open fire or bonfire still needs a free Fire Department permit, capped at six months under § 11-9.
Sec. 11-6. Same--Permit required. No person shall kindle, suffer, maintain, authorize, or permit any open fire or bonfire, or use or operate with fire any incinerator or other burning device outside of a regular building within the city without the permit specified in section 11-7. ... Sec. 11-8. Same--Permit not required for cooking devices. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no permit shall be required for the use and operation of homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills, or other similar cooking devices.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-150: Current through June 23, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Tucson Code chapter 11 treats unpermitted outdoor burning as a declared nuisance. Sec. " Sec. 11-6 makes it unlawful to kindle, suffer, maintain, authorize or permit any open fire, bonfire, incinerator or other burning device outside a building without the permit described in § 11-7. Under § 11-7, the fire chief examines the premises and proposed burning devices and issues the permit only if the resulting smoke, odor, sparks or fly ash will not travel more than one hundred (100) feet from the point of origin in any neighborhood where buildings sit closer together than 100 feet; in more open areas the chief weighs surrounding conditions, building placement and burning method instead.
No permit fee is charged, but the chief must refuse if nearby building proximity creates a fire hazard. Critically for backyard fire pits, § 11-8 carves out an exemption: "no permit shall be required for the use and operation of homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills, or other similar cooking devices," so ordinary residential fire pits used for cooking fall outside the permit system entirely. Any permit that is issued must specify the address, exact location, size, type of fire, hours, duration, device specifications and expiration date per § 11-9, is valid no more than six months, and failing to follow its stated terms is itself a violation.
Sec. 11-10 defines "dense smoke" using the Ringelmann Chart standard, density of number 2 or greater, measured from 100 feet up to one-quarter mile away, giving code officials an objective smoke-nuisance test even for exempt cooking fires that get out of hand.
Violations & Fines
Kindling an open fire, bonfire or incinerator outside a building without the § 11-6/11-7 permit violates § 11-5's nuisance prohibition and is punishable under the general penalty in Tucson Code § 1-8. Sec. 11-11 additionally lets the city pursue abatement and injunction of the nuisance through Pima County Superior Court. Departing from a granted permit's stated address, duration, hours or device specifications breaches § 11-9 in its own right, and producing smoke that meets or exceeds Ringelmann density 2 under § 11-10 can support enforcement even against an otherwise exempt cooking device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a backyard fire pit in Tucson?
What if I want a bonfire that isn't for cooking?
What happens if I burn without a permit in Tucson?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tucson
How Tucson compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Tucson to another location·View the Arizona fire regulations overview
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