Clinton Township, MI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Clinton Township, MI, 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
- General rule
- Open burning of any material is banned
- Owner liability
- Owner liable unless unknowing trespass caused fire
- Allowed exceptions
- 7 listed: e.g. barbeques, fire pits, fireworks
- General burning setback
- 100 ft residential, 50 ft other structures
- Fire Marshal authority
- Can halt any hazardous or smoky burn
- Minimum fine
- $100 civil infraction (Section 1621.99)
Summary
Clinton Township bans open burning of any material townshipwide, making property owners responsible for extinguishing fires on their land. Only a short list of fires is allowed, including barbeques, firefighter training burns, and permitted fireworks, and the Fire Marshal can shut down even a permitted fire once smoke, odor, or conditions turn hazardous.
Prohibitions. No person shall cause, allow or maintain any open burning or burning of any matter, or materials of any kind or nature and no person in charge of or in possession of any premises upon which such burning occurs or any premises immediately adjacent to any public place upon which such burning occurs shall fail to extinguish the fire if they have knowledge of such fire and it is within their capability to extinguish such fire. ... Hazardous Conditions. The Fire Marshall shall prohibit open burning that is offensive or objectionable due to smoke or odor emissions, or when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances, make fires hazardous.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-25: Local legislation current through May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
02(a) of the Clinton Township Code prohibits any person from causing, allowing, or maintaining open burning of any matter or material, and requires anyone in charge of a premises where an open fire is burning, or an adjacent public place, to put it out once they know about it and can safely do so. Property owners are responsible for open burning on their land unless it results from a trespass they did not know about. 4; permitted consumer fireworks; and fire pits, barbeques, and fireplaces used in conformity with state and local law.
02(b) gives the Fire Marshal power to prohibit any open burning that becomes offensive or objectionable from smoke or odor, or that atmospheric or local conditions make hazardous, and to order the permit holder or the Fire Department to put it out. 02(c) additionally keep general permitted burning at least 100 feet from a residential structure not on the burn property and 50 feet from a non-residential one, with a fire extinguisher or hose required on site. The chapter dates to Ordinance 429, passed March 13, 2017.
Violations & Fines
Any open burning outside the seven listed exceptions, or continued burning after the Fire Marshal orders it extinguished for hazardous or objectionable conditions, is a civil infraction under Section 1621.99, punishable by a fine of at least $100 along with any other civil-infraction penalty available under the Township's general code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to have an open fire in my yard in Clinton Township?
Who is responsible if my open fire gets out of control?
Can the Township make me put out a fire that's otherwise allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clinton Township
How Clinton Township compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Clinton Township to another location·View the Michigan fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Macomb County handle outdoor burning.