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Hendersonville, TN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Outdoor burning rules in Hendersonville, 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

General rule
no burning refuse or waste
Workman's fire window
Oct. through Apr. only
Container required
55-gallon drum
Must extinguish
end of workday
Penalty
up to $50 per day

Summary

Hendersonville bans burning garbage, refuse, rubbish, swill, or ashes anywhere in the City except at a designated disposal site, with a narrow exception for supervised construction-site "workman's fires" from October through April.

It shall be unlawful for any person to burn, dump, or in any manner dispose of garbage, refuse, rubbish, swill, ashes or other waste upon any streets, alleys, public places, trails or streams, or private property within the City, otherwise than as herein provided, except that paper collection drives, bottle collection drives may be carried on by non-profit institutions or clubs. No charge for removal of items shall be made against garbage customers. The disposal of refuse in any quantity by any person in any place, public or private, other than at a site or sites designated for refuse disposal is expressly prohibited.

(Ord. 1978-11, April 1978)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).

Full Breakdown

Section 17-103 makes it unlawful to burn, dump, or otherwise dispose of garbage, refuse, rubbish, swill, or ashes on any street, alley, public place, trail, stream, or private property within the City other than as the code provides, and bars disposing of refuse anywhere except a designated disposal site. The one carve-out sits in the construction-debris chapter: a supervised "workman's fire" burning only scrap, untreated wood in a 55-gallon drum or similar container, extinguished at the end of the workday, may be permitted October through April (§17-203(1)); the Fire Department can set added conditions and deny future permits for noncompliance.

Violations & Fines

Burning garbage, rubbish, or construction debris outside the permitted workman's-fire exception is unlawful under §17-103; violating the refuse chapter carries a fine up to $50 per day the violation continues (§17-114).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I burn yard debris or trash in Hendersonville?
No -- §17-103 prohibits burning garbage, refuse, rubbish, swill, or ashes anywhere in the City outside a designated disposal site.
Is any open fire legal at a construction site?
Yes, a supervised "workman's fire" of scrap untreated wood in a drum, October through April only, permitted under §17-203(1).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Hendersonville

All Hendersonville rules

How Hendersonville compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Hendersonville to another location·View the Tennessee fire regulations overview

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