Waco, TX Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

, Code of Ordinances § 10-45(a) governs any stove, oven or barbecue pit operated outside a building or enclosure on a lot or premises: it may not sit less than 10 feet from any adjoining building. Section 10-45(b) covers a different situation, a cooking fire built directly on the ground rather than inside a stove, oven or barbecue pit, and sets a stricter 50-foot minimum distance from the nearest structure; that kind of fire must be constantly attended by a competent person until it is fully extinguished, and a garden hose connected to a water supply, or other fire-extinguishing equipment, must be kept readily available while it burns.

Neither provision requires a permit for a compliant cooking fire, which is distinct from § 10-45(c)'s separate permit requirement for burning grass, weeds, brush or other vegetation. A stove, oven or barbecue pit used inside a building, structure or enclosure instead falls under § 10-44, which requires a vented smoke pipe extending at least three feet above the roofline with an approved spark arrestor. The fire marshal's office and fire department personnel enforce these outdoor-fire standards under § 10-2(a), and because chapter 10 imposes strict liability under § 10-2(b), a resident does not need to have intended to violate the setback to be cited for it.