Allen, TX Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 111.201 is written as a general prohibition, which changes how an Allen resident should think about a backyard fire. The question is never whether the fire is specifically banned; it is whether the fire fits an exception provided by the subchapter or by an order or permit of the commission. If no exception covers it, the burn is illegal, and that includes every neighborhood in Allen.

Two defined terms in the rule do real work. "Extinguished" means the absence of any visible flames, glowing coals, or smoke. A brush pile that has stopped flaming but still smokes is not extinguished and is still an active burn. "Landclearing operation" means the uprooting, cutting, or clearing of vegetation in connection with conversion for the construction of buildings, rights-of-way, or residential, commercial, or industrial projects, which is why clearing and construction debris cannot simply be torched on site. The prohibition also reaches outdoor disposal or deposition of any material capable of igniting spontaneously.

Allen sits inside the DFW EPA ozone nonattainment zone, which tightens outdoor burning restrictions in the city. The recreational exception in TCEQ § 111.219(7) covers cooking and warmth fires, and ceremonial fires require Allen Fire Marshal approval. The Collin County Commissioners Court periodically issues drought burn bans, and while a ban is active it suspends the recreational allowance until the ban lifts.