Flagstaff, AZ Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

The City Council adopted the International Fire Code, 2018 Edition, and locally amended its open-burning section: Section 5-02-001-0005 amends Section 105.6.3, Open Burning, by deleting the exception for recreational fires, removing the base code's carve-out that would otherwise let a homeowner burn a recreational fire without going through the code's open-burning permit process. Because the exception is gone, any open burning, including a backyard fire pit, falls under the Fire Code's permitting requirement rather than being automatically exempt. The Fire Department's own fee schedule, adopted under Section 3-10-001-0003, lists a specific charge for this: Open Burning (Fire Pit) carries a $139 fee.

The Fire Prevention Bureau, headed by the Fire Chief under Section 5-02-001-0002, administers the permit and can inspect burning activity for compliance. Given Flagstaff's elevated wildfire risk at 7,000 feet in ponderosa forest, the Fire Chief also has authority to suspend or restrict burning during periods of high fire danger, independent of any permit already issued. Appeals of a fire official's decision go to the Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals created under City Code Title 2.