Bellevue, WA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Bellevue, WA, 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
- Ban origin
- Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Sept. 1992
- Ban scope
- Permanent, all open burning
- Exceptions
- Bonfires, recreational fires, portable fireplaces
- Burn-ban override
- Suspends even the exceptions
- Info line
- PSCAA (206) 343-8800
Summary
Open burning is banned at all times in Bellevue under a permanent Puget Sound Clean Air Agency ban dating to September 1992, with narrow exceptions for bonfires, recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces. Additional burn bans for air quality or fire danger suspend even those exceptions.
307.1.1 Prohibited open burning. Open burning shall be prohibited at all times in compliance with a permanent ban on open burning established by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in September of 1992. Exceptions: 1. Bonfires 2. Recreational Fires 3. Portable outdoor fireplaces 307.1.2 Bans on fires due to air quality or fire danger. If the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency issues a burn ban due to air quality, or if a fire safety burn ban is issued by the fire code official, all fires are prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 6929, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
1 states that open burning shall be prohibited at all times in compliance with a permanent ban on open burning established by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in September of 1992, carving out only three exceptions: bonfires, recreational fires, and portable outdoor fireplaces, each independently regulated under the rest of Section 307. 1, meaning even the exempted fire types must still follow the permit, setback and attendance rules found elsewhere in the section. 2 layers on a second, independent prohibition: if the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency issues a burn ban due to air quality, or the fire code official issues a fire safety burn ban, all fires, including the otherwise-exempt bonfires, recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces, are prohibited outright, and the code puts the burden on the property owner to confirm no such ban is in effect before kindling any fire.
org or (206) 343-8800 for current burn ban and air quality status. 3 authorizes the fire code official to order it extinguished on the spot. These provisions were enacted through Ordinance 6782, Sections 1 and 2, in 2024.
Violations & Fines
Kindling or maintaining a fire in violation of the permanent open burning ban, or during an active Puget Sound Clean Air Agency or fire-department burn ban, is a fire code violation subject to enforcement under BCC 23.11.112 and immediate extinguishment order under 23.11.307.3; the property owner bears responsibility for confirming no burn ban is active before lighting any fire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is open burning legal in Bellevue?
Can I have a recreational fire during a burn ban?
Who do I check with before lighting a fire in Bellevue?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
How Bellevue compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Bellevue to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle outdoor burning.