Acworth, GA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Acworth, GA, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Acworth Code § 46-1
- Who approves sites
- Board of aldermen AND county fire chief, both required
- Exceptions
- None stated; no size or acreage carve-out
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 under general penalty § 1-11
- Jail exposure
- Up to six months under § 1-11
- Related rule
- Fireworks separately banned under § 46-2
Summary
Acworth bans bonfires of any kind within city limits at any time unless the board of aldermen has designated and approved the specific site, and the county fire chief or a designee has separately signed off. There is no individual homeowner permit path, so a backyard bonfire or open burn pile is unlawful regardless of lot size.
It shall be unlawful for any person, at any time, to build a bonfire of any description within the city limits except at places approved and designated by the board of aldermen and approved by the chief of the county fire department or his designated representative.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Acworth Code of Ordinances § 46-1 makes it "unlawful for any person, at any time, to build a bonfire of any description within the city limits" with one narrow carve-out: sites the mayor and board of aldermen have specifically approved and designated, and that the chief of the Cobb County Fire Department (or a designated representative) has also approved. Both approvals are required together; neither the city board acting alone nor the fire chief acting alone can authorize a bonfire site. The section traces to Code 1983, § 8-21, and sits in Chapter 46, Fire Prevention and Protection, alongside the city's fireworks ban (§ 46-2) and its indoor-smoking safety rule (§ 46-3).
Because the ordinance names no acreage, distance, or fuel-type exception, it reaches recreational bonfires, land-clearing debris burns, and holiday or event bonfires alike; a residential fire pit or chiminea burning wood in the open falls within the "bonfire of any description" language, though the code does not separately define "bonfire" by size. State-level agricultural or forestry burn permits operate on top of this local ban, not instead of it: even a state-authorized burn still needs the two Acworth sign-offs to be lawful inside city limits. No exception in the code is tied to season or weather, so the prohibition runs year-round rather than only during a declared burn ban.
Violations & Fines
Section 46-1 sets no burning-specific fine, so a violation defaults to the general penalty in § 1-11: a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, up to 60 days of public-works labor, or a judge's combination of those, with each day of a continuing unlawful burn counted as its own offense. Acworth Municipal Court hears the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn a bonfire in my Acworth backyard?
Does a state agricultural burn permit override the city ban?
What happens if I'm cited for an illegal bonfire?
Are fireworks covered by the same rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Acworth
How Acworth compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Acworth to another location·View the Georgia fire regulations overview
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