Harrisburg, PA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 6-311.19 of the Harrisburg Codified Ordinances, in the Public Health Code chapter on public health nuisances, is the City of Harrisburg's open burning ban. It reaches burning, or permitting to be burned, any materials of any kind on public or private property or on the streets, alleys or sidewalks within the City. The ordinance names rubbish, garbage, leaves, grass and other waste materials, but the opening words are not limited to that list, so a backyard fire is covered along with a pile of yard debris.

The only exception is narrow. Rubbish, leaves, grass and other waste materials can be burned in incinerators approved by the Health Officer, and only in or on the premises of manufacturing and commercial buildings, hotels and apartment houses. A single-family or small residential lot gets no exception under this section.

Two other sections reinforce the ban. Section 6-309.9(A) says no person shall dump, burn, bury, destroy or otherwise dispose of refuse, except at an approved refuse disposal site. Section 9-305.3(D) says no person shall cause or allow the open burning of recyclable material as well as leaf waste, including leaves, garden residues, shrubbery and tree trimmings, in the City. For Harrisburg residents, leaf waste therefore goes to the City's composting program under Chapter 9-307, not to a fire.

The Fire Code fee schedule in Section 3-901.5 lists a line for bonfires and open burning, which shows the Bureau of Fire prices event-based fires, but it is a fee schedule and does not repeal the Health Code prohibition. Anyone planning an event fire should ask the Bureau of Fire before lighting anything.

Enforcement of the Public Health Code runs through the Health Officer under Chapter 6-103, and a violation of Chapter 6-311 can also be abated as a public nuisance in the manner prescribed by law.