Greenwood, IN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 6-83 of the Greenwood General Ordinances makes open burning unlawful within the city limits except as specifically allowed. Any open burn, defined as combustion where air contaminants pass directly into the atmosphere without a stack or chimney, must be attended at all times by someone at least eighteen years old who keeps a garden hose or comparable firefighting equipment on hand. Only clean wood products, charcoal, up to five full newspaper sheets or paper no larger than 24 by 24 inches, or up to 32 fluid ounces of clean petroleum products may be burned; burning trash, rubbish, grass or leaves for disposal is banned outright.

The Greenwood Fire Department may halt any burn that becomes a pollution problem, a threat to health, safety or property, a nuisance, or another fire hazard, and it may also bar burning during high winds, temperature inversions, air stagnation or a declared pollution or ozone alert. Burns that do not qualify for the no-permit fire-pit exception in Section 6-83(c), including open campfires, bonfires and ceremonial fires, need a Fire Department permit obtained at least twenty-four hours in advance during normal business hours; the applicant must certify that adjoining neighbors were notified and consented, and pay a ten dollar fee.

A permitted burn must stay under 125 cubic feet, sit at least fifty feet from any structure, and have an adequate water supply nearby. Open burning that meets the separate exemption in Indiana Code Section 13-17-9 is allowed without a city permit. The Fire Department enforces Section 6-83 directly.