Outdoor burning rules in Nashua, NH — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
All open burning in Nashua requires both a city permit from Nashua Fire Rescue under City Code § 110-2 (Chapter 110, Burning, Open) and a written forest-fire-warden permit under RSA 227-L:17 (Woodland Fire Control). The City Forest Fire Warden is the Nashua Fire Chief. Permits are free and issued through nashuanh.burnpermits.com in three categories: Category 1 (minimum 25-foot setback from any structure, applied for entirely online), Category 2 and Category 3 (minimum 50-foot setback, require a site visit). Burning is allowed between 5:00 p.m. and midnight, weather permitting. No permit is required only when the ground is completely covered with snow.
Two statutes set the framework for outdoor burning in Nashua: (1) Nashua City Code § 110-2 (Chapter 110, Burning, Open) states that 'no person shall kindle or cause to be burned any material in an open fire on public or private property without first obtaining a permit from the Fire Department, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.' (2) New Hampshire RSA 227-L:17 (Permits; Damages; Penalties) requires that 'no person, firm, or corporation shall kindle or cause to be kindled any fire or shall burn or cause to be burned any material, and no city or town shall kindle or maintain a fire on a public dump, except when the ground is covered with snow, without first obtaining a written permit from the forest fire warden of the town where the burning is to be done unless it is in the presence of the warden or the warden's agent.' RSA 227-L:17 further requires written permission from the landowner before kindling a fire on the land of another, and camp or cooking fires may be kindled only with both landowner and forest-fire-warden written permission, and only at suitable times and places when the fire will not endanger woodlands. Nashua administers permits through nashuanh.burnpermits.com in three categories: Category 1 covers small campfires / fire pits with a minimum 25-foot setback from any structure and can be applied for entirely online; Categories 2 and 3 require a minimum 50-foot setback and a site visit by Nashua Fire Rescue before issuance. A permit is required for any open burning of solid-fuel materials except charcoal, including barrels, chimineas, and fire pits. Allowed burning hours are 5:00 p.m. to midnight, weather permitting, and seasonal Category 1 camp-fire permits must be renewed each calendar year. Permits are issued free of charge. The New Hampshire State Fire Code (NFPA 1, 2021 ed.) adopted under RSA 153 supplies additional life-safety standards. NH Division of Forests and Lands sets daily Fire Danger ratings; permits are not valid on Class V (Extreme) days.
Open burning without the required permits violates Nashua City Code § 110-2 and RSA 227-L:17. RSA 227-L:17 imposes strict liability: any person who kindles a fire without a required permit is liable for all damages caused and for all expenses incurred in extinguishing the fire, plus statutory fines under RSA 227-L. Nashua Fire Rescue and the City Forest Fire Warden enforce. Nashua Fire Marshal's Office: (603) 594-3650; for an active fire call 911.
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