Gulfport, FL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Open burning in Gulfport is defined in section 10-19(a) as burning any matter so that combustion products are emitted directly into the outdoor atmosphere without passing through a stack or chimney, covering everything from a backyard debris pile to an uncontained trash fire. Subsection (b) then sets the operative fuel rule: any recreational fire is restricted to clean-burning charcoal, coal, manufactured fire logs, or untreated dry wood, and the ordinance separately and explicitly bans burning treated wood, yard waste, paper, garbage, or other waste material outdoors, regardless of the fire's size or container.

"Treated wood" is defined broadly to include anything coated or infused with paint, glue, filler, pentachlorophenol, creosote, tar, asphalt, chromated copper arsenate (CCA), or other preservatives, so painted fence boards, pressure-treated lumber and old plywood scraps cannot go into a backyard burn no matter what fuel the fire otherwise uses. "Yard waste," covering leaves, shrub trimmings, grass clippings, palm fronds and brush, is likewise off-limits for open burning, even though it is a routine byproduct of yard maintenance; it has to go out through the city's collection program instead.

Section 10-19(c) carves out one exclusion: grills, camp stoves, or similar cooking devices fueled by LP gas, butane, naphthalene or other liquid fuel are not covered by the open-burning restriction, so long as they are not used to burn yard waste or other prohibited material. Enforcement authority runs to both law enforcement and the fire department, who can enter the property where burning is occurring and require the fire extinguished, or extinguish it themselves, if it does not comply with section 10-19 or is judged a threat to public health or safety.