Warrick County, IN Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Warrick County Code § 133.04 lists the fires exempt from the § 133.03 open-burning ban in unincorporated Warrick County, Indiana. Wood-product burning, other than leaves, is allowed for school pep rallies, fires used for cooking purposes such as a backyard fire pit or grill fire, fires used in scouting activities, any burning already authorized under state law and state regulation, and burning under a permit issued by a local fire department. Burning non-wood products still needs permits from the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Board of Commissioners; that permit path is separate from the cooking-fire exception.

Section 133.05 imposes conditions that apply to every allowed fire, including a cooking or recreational fire pit: the person burning must extinguish the fire the moment it creates a nuisance or fire hazard, may not burn during high winds, temperature inversions, or air stagnation, must attend the fire at all times until it is completely extinguished, and may never burn asbestos-containing material. Section 133.06 authorizes the county to seek an injunction against anyone who keeps violating these conditions, and § 133.99 layers the calendar-year fine schedule of $50, $100, and $150 on top of any court order.

None of these cooking or scouting exceptions apply once the Board of Commissioners has declared an open burn emergency under § 133.03(B), which can suspend even permitted fires within the affected area or time period.