Boston, MA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 13. No person shall set, maintain or increase a fire in the open air at any time except by permission, covering a period not exceeding two days from the date thereof, granted by the forest warden or chief of the fire department in cities and towns, or, in cities having such an official, the fire commissioner; provided, that if such permission is not in writing, a written record of the granting thereof, setting forth the date upon which permission was granted, the dates covered by such permission, the name and address of the person to whom, and the manner in which, such permission was granted, and any other necessary information relative thereto, shall be made and kept by the forest warden, chief or fire commissioner, as the case may be, and shall be open to public inspection; and provided further, that persons eighteen years of age or older may, without a permit, set, maintain or increase a reasonable fire for the purpose of cooking, upon sandy or gravelly land free from living or dead vegetation or upon sandy or rocky beaches bordering on tidewater, if the fire is enclosed within rocks, metal or other nonflammable material. [...] Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 plus the cost of suppression or by imprisonment for not more than one month or both.