Grand Rapids, MI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Grand Rapids, MI, 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
- Open burning
- prohibited citywide
- Cooking fires
- exempt if in approved container
- Recreational fires
- exempt only with Sec. 9.35 permit
- Smoldering/nauseous-odor burning
- separately prohibited
Summary
Grand Rapids bans open burning citywide except for narrow exemptions like cooking fires, construction salamanders, Fire Department burns, and permitted recreational fires under Sec. 9.35.
Open Burning. Open burning shall be prohibited, except as provided herein and in Section 9.35 of this Article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 70).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 151, Article 4 of the Grand Rapids City Code makes open burning unlawful across the city as an air-pollution control measure. The ordinance carves out only a short list of exemptions: cooking fires in an approved container used safely, gas or liquid-fired salamanders on construction sites, tar/pitch/oil boiling by roofers and similar trades, Fire Department or Civil Defense burns, state-approved prescribed burns following a detailed permitting process, and recreational fires permitted under the separate Sec. 9.35 program. Smoldering incinerators or burning garbage or refuse that smolders or gives off nauseous odors is separately prohibited.
Violations & Fines
Enforced under the Air Pollution Control article of Chapter 151; illegal open burning is subject to citation and can bring a municipal civil infraction fine under Chapter 170.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or trash in my yard in Grand Rapids?
Is any open burning legal in Grand Rapids?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grand Rapids
How Grand Rapids compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Grand Rapids to another location·View the Michigan fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kent County handle outdoor burning.