Dearborn Heights, MI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Sec. 14-46 adopts the 2006 International Fire Code with city amendments, and its rewritten Section 307.1 states that open burning is prohibited within the city unless done under a permit issued pursuant to Section 105.6.30. Section 307.3 lets recreational fires, highway safety flares, barbeque grills and occupational-need fires proceed without a permit, but any other outdoor fire, including a bonfire, needs an outdoor fire permit under Section 307.10, applied for at the fire marshal's office with a drawing of the burn location, the containment method, the material to be burned, and the planned time and date.

Section 307.6 limits fuel to LP gas, natural gas, charcoal or seasoned dry firewood, and bars burning refuse, tires, lumber, furniture, leaves or other prohibited material, while Section 307.7 requires any outdoor fire to be constantly attended with a fire extinguisher or comparable equipment on hand. Section 307.8 further caps a permitted bonfire at five feet by five feet, no more than three feet high, and burning no longer than three hours unless the fire code official extends it for safety reasons. Section 307.11 requires the fire department or the person present to immediately extinguish any outdoor fire found violating the code or its permit, and allows the fire chief or designee to revoke the permit.

Section 109.3, as rewritten by Sec. 14-46(b)(9), makes a fire code violation a Class D municipal civil infraction, with each day a violation continues after notice treated as a separate offense.