Clarkstown, NY Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 143-63 of the Fire Prevention chapter, Article XVI, Fire Precautions, defines "outdoor fires" broadly to include "all nonaccidental fires burning, smoldering or producing smoke outdoors," carving out only fires used to cook food in approved or recognized grills or stoves. Subsection B prohibits any outdoor fire that is offensive or objectionable because of smoke or odor, causes an unnecessary Fire Department dispatch, or is conducted without a permit from both the Rockland County Health Department and the Chief Fire Safety Inspector. The section specifically calls out that live burn drills by a fire department and special-event ceremonial fires need prior Health Department approval plus a Fire Safety Inspector permit.

Under Subsection C, anyone who starts, maintains or controls an objectionable, offensive, or Fire Department-dispatching outdoor fire, or one lacking the required permits, is in violation of the section. This local burn law layers on top of, rather than replaces, the New York State Fire Code's separate open-burning restrictions, and the Town's own operating-permit chapter (§ 109-10) cross-references FCNYS Section 307, "Open Burning, Recreational Fires and Portable Outdoor Fireplaces," when setting which burning activities need a Town operating permit.