Hutto, TX Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Hutto, TX, 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
- Permit required
- Yes, from the fire marshal
- Setback from structures
- 50 feet minimum
- Burn window
- 1 hr after sunrise to 1 hr before sunset
- Trash/brush burning
- Prohibited citywide
- Maximum fine (fire safety)
- Up to $2,000 per offense
Summary
The City of Hutto requires a fire marshal permit before any open fire on private or public land, with narrow exceptions for contained recreational fires and permitted firefighter training, and flatly bans burning trash or brush within city limits.
No person shall kindle or maintain any open fire, or authorize such fire to be kindled or maintained, on any private land or any public street, alley, road, or other public grounds within the city without first obtaining a permit for such fire from the city's designated fire marshal or his authorized representative, unless the open fire qualifies under one of the following exceptions ... It shall be unlawful for any person to burn any type of trash, brush, or any other type of burnable debris within the city limits, except as provided above.
Full Breakdown
Hutto Code of Ordinances § 10.03.003 states "No person shall kindle or maintain any open fire ... on any private land or any public street, alley, road, or other public grounds within the city without first obtaining a permit" from the designated fire marshal, unless the fire falls under one of three exceptions: TCEQ-authorized firefighter training, a contained recreational or ceremonial fire in a fireplace, pit, or grill designed for the purpose, or a fire permitted under the city's special-events article. Where a permit issues, § 10.03.004 requires the fire to sit at least 50 feet from any structure, be constantly attended by someone with a garden hose or extinguisher ready, start no earlier than one hour after sunrise and be fully out no later than one hour before sunset, and never include electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, tires, or chemical waste.
Section 10.03.005 lets the fire marshal or police chief prohibit any fire, permitted or not, when atmospheric conditions make burning hazardous or when it would violate Texas Health and Safety Code § 382.001 et seq. or TCEQ rules. Section 10.03.006 separately makes it unlawful to burn trash, brush, or other burnable debris within city limits at all, permit or no permit. Section 10.03.001 ties the whole article to state TCEQ authorization, so a state permit does not excuse a Hutto burn permit and vice versa.
Violations & Fines
Section 10.03.002 makes any violation a class C misdemeanor punished under the general penalty in § 1.01.009, and because open burning falls under the code's fire-safety category that penalty can reach $2,000.00 rather than the ordinary $500.00 cap, with each day of violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a backyard fire pit in Hutto?
Can I burn tree limbs or trash on my property?
How far must an open fire be from my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hutto
How Hutto compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Hutto to another location·View the Texas fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Williamson County handle outdoor burning.