Wyoming, MI Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 30-35 of the Wyoming Code of Ordinances governs every outdoor fire inside city limits. Section 30-32 defines open burning as a fire whose products of combustion go directly into the open air without passing through a stack or chimney, and section 30-35(1) widens that to cover burning in any container that is not an approved incinerator. A steel barrel, a bucket or a homemade bowl of fire counts as open burning.

Subsection (2) is flat: no open burning of leaves or refuse is permitted within the city limits at any time. The section sets no seasonal burn window. Subsection (3) lists the fires allowed without a permit: wood, charcoal or coke cooking fires in an approved container designed exclusively for cooking with a mechanism that completely encloses the fire; gas or liquid-fired salamanders on construction jobs; fires used by roofers, plumbers, tinners and other mechanics to boil tar, pitch or oil; and fire department or emergency management burns that meet four conditions, including written authorization from the fire chief.

Recreational fires fall under subsection (4). A homeowner may use an outdoor fireplace bought for use outside a dwelling, for food preparation or recreation, on a noncombustible surface such as brick, flagstone or concrete, kept away from flammable liquids and other combustibles. Only clean wood or other solid fuel goes in. Grass clippings, brush, leaves and paper are named as banned fuels.

Subsection (5) defines the device as a portable or site built, commercially produced unit designed, manufactured and purchased for the sole purpose of burning wood or solid fuel, then sets five standards. The unit sits at least 20 feet from any combustible material and at least 20 feet from adjoining lot lines. A noncombustible barrier at least 18 inches wide surrounds it, and that barrier is also required under a portable unit. The fire pot is capped at four feet in diameter and carries a spark arrestor. A competent person attends the fire until it is extinguished, with a garden hose connected to a water supply or other extinguishing equipment ready. Fire rings are prohibited.

Under subsection (6), fire or police personnel can require any open burning to stop immediately if the smoke is offensive to occupants of surrounding property or the conditions are hazardous, dry weather being the code's own example.