Outdoor burning rules in Baltimore, MD — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Baltimore prohibits burning leaves, brush, and yard waste outdoors. Maryland air-quality regulations and city fire code combine to ban almost all open burning except small recreational fires and approved cooking devices.
COMAR 26.11.07 and Baltimore City Fire Code Section 307 jointly prohibit open burning of vegetative debris, construction waste, and household trash within Baltimore. Residents must compost, bag for curbside collection, or use the city Northwest Transfer Station for yard waste disposal. Small charcoal or gas grills, outdoor fireplaces meeting recreational-fire standards, and ceremonial fires under permit are the only legal exceptions. Maryland Department of the Environment enforces air-quality violations alongside BCFD.
Civil penalties $500 to $25,000 per day under MDE air-quality rules. BCFD adds local citations of $250 to $1,000. Recurring violators face misdemeanor referral.
Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD
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See how Baltimore's outdoor burning rules stack up against other locations.
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