Iowa City, IA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 6-6-1 sets a flat prohibition: no person shall ignite, cause to be ignited, permit to be ignited, allow or maintain any open fire. Section 6-6-2A then carves out five specific, fire-department-permitted uses: ceremonial or controlled bonfires; open burning of rubbish, including landscape waste, during an officially declared emergency; prescribed agricultural burns of fields (defined as open land more than 50 feet from a building or wooded area) to maintain native prairie grass; training fires for bona fide firefighting instruction; and flare stacks for waste-gas flaring.

All five require a valid open burning permit from the fire department and compliance with fire department guidelines. Two categories need no permit at all: campfires and outdoor cooking are permitted under 6-6-2B if performed in an approved container built of steel, brick or masonry, and portable outdoor fireplaces are permitted outright under 6-6-2C, added by Ordinance 02-4034 in August 2002. The chapter does not set a container size or a minimum setback from structures for the no-permit categories, unlike the 50-foot rule that applies specifically to prescribed agricultural field burns.