Concord, NC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

The City of Concord Fire Marshal's Office enforces Sec. 34-4 of the Code of Ordinances, which prohibits igniting or maintaining any open burning fire within the corporate limits except for specific listed exceptions. 'Open burning' means burning matter so the products of combustion go directly into the atmosphere without passing through a chimney or permitted control device. Allowed exceptions include: training fires for firefighters (with prior notice to the fire department); open fires for cooking, heating, religious and ceremonial purposes, provided the fire is not composed in whole or substantial part of leaves or yard waste, is contained in a campfire pit or a container no larger than a 55-gallon drum or device designed for the purpose, and uses only naturally cut wood, charcoal, propane or natural gas (no construction or building materials); bonfires, which require a fire-department permit and are limited to naturally cut wood three inches or smaller in diameter, no more than five feet by five feet by five feet, burning no longer than three hours; permitted disposal fires for waste propellants/explosives or for natural-disaster debris; and film/civic-event fires by permit. The smoke must not become a nuisance to neighbors. Yard-waste and leaf burning is effectively prohibited inside the city. Cooking on approved grills and barbecues is treated as ordinary cooking, not regulated open burning. The North Carolina Forest Service and local fire marshal can also impose temporary burn bans that override these allowances.