Outdoor burning rules in Detroit, 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.
Open burning of yard waste, leaves, and refuse is prohibited in Detroit. Michigan's Part 115 solid-waste law bans open burning of yard waste in every municipality over 7,500 population, and Detroit's Fire Prevention and Protection Code (Chapter 19, Division 5) reinforces the ban. Only contained recreational campfires burning clean wood for cooking or recreation are allowed; open piles, leaf burning, and burning of construction debris are not.
Two layers of law combine to make residential open burning effectively prohibited in Detroit. First, the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Part 115, NREPA, as administered by EGLE) bans the open burning of yard waste — leaves, brush, grass clippings — in all Michigan municipalities with populations of 7,500 or more. Detroit, with roughly 630,000 residents, falls within this prohibition statewide. Second, Detroit City Code Chapter 19 (Fire Prevention and Protection), Division 5 (Open Burning and Outdoor Fire Activities), defines and regulates open and outdoor fires; the code permits only campfires in a fire pit for recreation or cooking using clean wood. Burning to dispose of waste is explicitly excluded from the campfire definition. Trash, leaves, treated wood, plastics, construction debris, and demolition material are prohibited fuels. Charcoal and propane grills used for cooking are not 'open burning' and are unaffected. The Detroit Fire Marshal enforces Chapter 19 and may order extinguishment, issue citations, and recover suppression costs. EGLE's Air Quality Division may add penalties under state air-quality law for unlawful open burning.
Open burning of yard waste or refuse violates Michigan NREPA Part 115 and Detroit City Code Ch. 19 Div. 5. The Detroit Fire Marshal may order immediate extinguishment, issue municipal citations, and bill suppression costs. State penalties under EGLE air-quality law can include civil fines and, for repeat or large-scale offenses, criminal misdemeanor charges. Burning that damages neighboring property exposes the burner to civil liability for those damages.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Wayne County.
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