Franklin, TN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Franklin, TN, 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
- Open burning banned citywide
- No-permit exceptions
- Cooking/barbecue fires, commercial incinerator
- Permit-required
- Bonfires/cookouts, wood-waste burning
- Correction window
- 30 working days after notice
- Extra authority
- BOMA may restrict further in drought/water shortage
- Appeal body
- Building & Streets Standards Board of Appeals
Summary
Franklin bans open burning across the entire city limits by default, carving out only a short list of named exceptions, and two of the most common ones (ceremonial bonfires and wood-waste disposal) require a fire department permit before you strike a match.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit open burning within the entire city limits of Franklin except as set out in subsection (2). Exceptions: (a) Non-commercial fires used for cooking of food including barbecues and outdoor fireplaces; (b) Commercial incinerator; (c) Commercial barbecue fireplace; (d) Non-commercial fires used for ceremonial or recreation purposes including bonfires and cookouts... (l) Disposal of "wood waste" as defined in section 7-205. Priming materials used to facilitate such burning as wood waste and vegetation are limited to #1 or #2 grade fuel oil. Burning of wood waste shall require an "Air Curtain Destructor," or other approved device. (m) Exceptions (a) and (c) above are allowed with no permit requirements. Exceptions (d) and (l) above shall require a permit issued by the fire department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Franklin Municipal Code § 7-224 opens with a flat prohibition: no one may cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning anywhere in the city, then lists the only lawful exceptions. Permit-free burning covers non-commercial cooking fires such as barbecues and outdoor fireplaces, and commercial incinerators or barbecue fireplaces. A separate, permitted tier covers non-commercial ceremonial or recreational fires including bonfires and cookouts, plus disposal of "wood waste" (bark, sawdust, limbs, chips and untreated lumber under § 7-201) using priming fuel limited to #1 or #2 grade fuel oil and an approved air curtain destructor.
Other narrow exceptions exist for fire-training burns, structure demolition ordered by a building official when there is no other safe method, land-clearing fires tied to forest or game management, smokeless safety flares, law-enforcement destruction of seized drugs, and construction-site warming fires the fire marshal approves; the fire chief or marshal also has standing discretion to permit or prohibit any burning type the list does not otherwise address. Beyond the listed exceptions the board of mayor and aldermen may further restrict or suspend burning and discharge activity during a declared water shortage or dry-weather period, layering a drought-driven ban on top of the year-round rule. Appeals of a fire official's decision under this chapter go to the Building & Streets Standards Board of Appeals per § 7-206.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 7-224 or any fire code provision is unlawful under § 7-208. Under § 7-209 the fire official serves a summons, citation or written notice and gives up to 30 working days to correct the violation; continuing the burn past that window draws a civil penalty set in appendix A, comprehensive fees and penalties, and any permit involved becomes void until the violation is fixed. A violator is also liable to the city for the cost of any fire department personnel or equipment sent to respond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a backyard bonfire in Franklin?
Can I burn a pile of leaves or brush in my yard?
Does the burning rule get stricter during a drought?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin
How Franklin compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Franklin to another location·View the Tennessee fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.