Racine County, WI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Racine County, WI, 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
- Default rule
- All open burning banned
- Enforcement
- Sheriff's department (§ 13-52)
- Penalty
- $50–$1,000 fine plus costs
- Exceptions
- Cooking, forest management, residential refuse
Summary
Racine County prohibits all open fires except for a short list of permitted uses like cooking, ceremonies, forest management and limited residential refuse burning, enforced by the sheriff's department.
All open fires are hereby prohibited in the county except for:
(1) Outdoor fires for cooking, ceremonies and recreation. Such fires may not burn plastic, rubber, asphalt, oily substances, or any materials that will create dense smoke or cause a nuisance.
(2) Back fires to control forest fires or fires set for forest and wildlife habitat management as prescribed by government agencies.
(3) Burning of trees, wood or brush by such methods approved by the department of natural resources.
(4) Fires burning clean, dry, combustible materials used to thaw the ground for street or sewer repairs.
(5) Fires set for the practice and instruction of firefighters, or testing of firefighting equipment.
(6) Burning of brush or weeds on agricultural lands including fires for cropland management, insect and rodent control, provided dense smoke is not created and no nuisance occurs.
(7) Burning of explosives or dangerous material for which no other safe disposal method exists.
(8) Open fires for clean, dry, combustible refuse disposal on one- or two-family residential properties. The fires must be at least ten (10) feet from the property line and may not burn wet, combustible rubbish, garbage, oily substances, asphalt, plastic, rubber products or any material which creates dense smoke or causes a nuisance. Where a business is operated from the home or an attached structure, no business refuse may be burned under any condition. (Ord. No. 89-835, pt. 1(9.02), 7-25-89; Ord. No. 2006-37, 7-11-06)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-54 of the Racine County Code prohibits all open fires in the county except for specific listed uses: outdoor cooking, ceremonial and recreational fires; forest and wildlife management back fires; DNR-approved burning of trees, wood or brush; ground-thawing fires for utility repairs; firefighter training fires; agricultural brush and weed burning; disposal of explosives with no safer option; and limited residential refuse burning. The sheriff's department enforces the article (§ 13-52), and violators face a fine of $50 to $1,000 plus costs, or up to 30 days in jail if the fine goes unpaid, with each day a separate offense (§ 13-53).
Violations & Fines
Setting a prohibited open fire violates Sec. 13-54; the penalty under Sec. 13-53 is a fine of $50 to $1,000 plus costs, with jail time of up to 30 days for nonpayment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn brush or leaves in Racine County?
What's the penalty for illegal open burning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Racine County
How Racine County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Racine County to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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