Lafayette, IN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 3.05.020 of the Lafayette Municipal Code states the general rule: no person shall start, kindle, cause, allow or maintain any form of open burning on private or public property, except as specifically authorized by Chapter 3.05 or as permitted in writing by the Lafayette Fire Department. The section also bars letting combustible material accumulate in a way that contributes to open burning, and directs the Fire Department to extinguish any burning that violates the chapter. Section 3.05.010 defines open burning broadly as burning any materials where smoke, ash or embers are emitted into the air without passing through a stack or chimney, sweeping in everything from debris fires to unenclosed backyard burns.

Chapter 3.05's narrow exemptions in Section 3.05.030 cover outdoor grills and campfires, limited private residential burning in a vented, enclosed noncombustible container, and supervised recreational or ceremonial fires, all conditioned on compliance with state and federal law. Section 3.05.040 layers on conditions for any exempt burning: it must happen in safe weather (no high winds, temperature inversions, air stagnation, or declared pollution/ozone alerts), stay attended until fully out, get put out if the Fire Department finds it a hazard or nuisance, have adequate firefighting equipment on hand, and never be used for disposal.

Section 3.05.050 separately bans burning leaves, refuse, or similar substances without the Fire Department's express written approval. Lafayette's Fire Chief and the Lafayette Fire Department administer and enforce Chapter 3.05, and the general open-burning prohibition was amended by Ordinance No. 2014-28 in 2014 to its current form.