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.
Burning garbage, recyclable materials, leaf waste, or grass clippings is unlawful in the City of Erie at all times under Quality of Life ordinance item QOL-31. Open burning is also prohibited whenever atmospheric conditions make fires hazardous or winds gust to or are sustained at 10 mph. Because the City of Erie lies within the state-designated Erie air basin (25 Pa. Code 121.1), stricter air-quality burning limits apply.
The City of Erie restricts open burning through both its adopted International Fire Code (Section 307) and Quality of Life ordinance item QOL-31. QOL-31 makes it unlawful for any person to burn recyclable materials, leaf waste, or grass clippings at any time in bonfires or rubbish fires (permitted recreational fires are exempt). The City of Erie Fire Department additionally bars burning garbage, recyclable materials, leaf waste, and grass clippings anywhere in the city. Under IFC 307.1.1, open burning is prohibited when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous, and the City prohibits it when winds are gusting to or sustained at 10 mph. The City of Erie is one of the political subdivisions in the Erie air basin defined in 25 Pa. Code 121.1 (City of Erie, Harborcreek Township, Lawrence Park Township, Millcreek Township, and Wesleyville Borough), where the Pennsylvania DEP air-quality program applies the most restrictive open-burning standards. The fire code official is authorized to order any hazardous or unpermitted open burning extinguished (IFC 307.3).
Illegal burning under QOL-31 is enforced through Erie's Quality of Life ticketing program: a first offense draws a warning, second offense $25, third offense $50, and fourth offense a $100 fine. The fire code official may also order extinguishment, and PADEP air-pollution penalties can apply within the Erie air basin.
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