Outdoor burning rules in Cape Coral, FL — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
You may burn yard waste in Lee County without a Florida Forest Service authorization if the pile fits an 8-foot diameter, is your own vegetative debris, and is lit after 9 a.m. and out one hour before sunset. Larger piles and land-clearing need authorization.
The Florida Forest Service administers outdoor-burning law statewide (FS 590.125), including in Lee County (Caloosahatchee Forestry Center, 239-690-8001). Burning yard waste - grass, brush, leaves, limbs, palm fronds from your own property - needs no authorization if it fits an 8-foot diameter pile or non-combustible container, you meet setbacks, and there is no local burn ban. Agricultural, silvicultural, pile, acreage, and land-clearing burns all require an authorization before ignition. It is illegal to burn household garbage, treated lumber, plastics, rubber, tires, pesticides, paint, and aerosol cans. Lee County can suspend all open burning during a drought burn ban.
Burning prohibited materials or without required authorization violates FS 590.125 and Forest Service rules; an escaped fire makes you liable for suppression costs and damage to others' property.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Lee County.
See how Cape Coral's outdoor burning rules stack up against other locations.
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