Outdoor burning rules in Erie, PA — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Erie restricts open burning through the International Fire Code adopted at Part Fifteen (Article 1503) of the Codified Ordinances and statewide air-quality rules at 25 Pa. Code Section 129.14. Burning of leaves, yard waste, household garbage, treated wood, plastic, and tires is prohibited. Only IFC-307-compliant recreational fires (seasoned wood, 25-foot setback, attended, approved containers) and approved cooking fires are allowed.
Three layers of law govern outdoor burning in Erie. (1) Erie Codified Ordinances Part Fifteen, Article 1503 adopts the International Fire Code, including Section 307 'Open Burning, Recreational Fires and Portable Outdoor Fireplaces.' IFC 307.1 prohibits open burning except in compliance with Section 307.2 (permit) or Section 307.4 (recreational fires/portable outdoor fireplaces). IFC 307.4 prohibits open burning that is 'offensive or objectionable due to smoke or odor emissions, or when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous,' which Erie applies whenever wind is sustained at or gusting to 10 mph. (2) Pennsylvania DEP at 25 Pa. Code Section 129.14 prohibits burning materials that produce 'air contaminants' - which sweeps in leaves, yard waste, demolition debris, and household trash - and is enforced concurrently with the local code. (3) Erie City Council in 2021 expanded fines for illegal burning. The Erie Bureau of Fire is the permit authority for any open burn requiring approval under IFC 105.6. Allowed without a permit: a small recreational fire of seasoned natural firewood under IFC 307.4.2 in an approved container (3 ft diameter, 2 ft height, 25 ft from structures, attended, water on hand) and cooking on a residential grill. Prohibited without a permit and a DEP exemption: burn barrels, leaf piles, brush piles, construction debris, painted or treated lumber, tires, plastics, household garbage, and any commercial waste. PADEP also imposes statewide Spring Fire Season closures during high-risk periods, typically March through May, when even otherwise-legal small fires may be banned by emergency order.
Violations of the adopted IFC and Erie burn-restriction ordinance are enforced by the Erie Bureau of Fire and Code Enforcement under IFC 109; typical fines are $100 to $1,000 per offense plus suppression cost recovery if the Fire Department is dispatched. PADEP can separately assess civil penalties up to $25,000 per day per violation under the Air Pollution Control Act (35 P.S. Section 4009). Recklessly causing a fire that damages property is also a criminal offense (arson, 18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3301).
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