Neenah, WI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Neenah, WI, 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
- Default rule
- All outdoor fires banned
- Exceptions
- Cooking, recreational, permitted burns only
- Chief's authority
- Can restrict burns in hazardous conditions
- Street/sidewalk burning
- Never allowed
Summary
Neenah bans building any outdoor fire within city limits except the specific cooking, recreational-fire, and permitted burns listed in the code, and the Fire Chief can shut those down in hazardous conditions.
Open burning prohibited. No person, firm or corporation shall build any outdoor fire within the corporate limits of the City of Neenah except as set forth in Subsection (b) of this section. ... The Fire Chief or Fire Marshal is permitted to regulate and or prohibit any or all vegetation fires, recreational fires, and other permitted outdoor fires, when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7-28(a) makes it unlawful to build any outdoor fire anywhere in Neenah unless it falls under one of the code's own exceptions: outdoor cooking devices, a permitted recreational fire pit, Fire Chief-approved controlled vegetation burns, or approved ceremonial bonfires. Even those permitted fires aren't guaranteed: Sec. 7-28(c) lets the Fire Chief or Fire Marshal regulate or prohibit any vegetation fire, recreational fire, or other outdoor burn when weather or local conditions make it hazardous. Burning on any street, curb, gutter, or sidewalk is barred outright, and anyone who starts a fire is liable for resulting damage.
Violations & Fines
Building an unauthorized outdoor fire, or continuing one after the Fire Chief orders a burn restriction, violates Sec. 7-28 and is enforceable under the chapter's fire-prevention penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is open burning legal in Neenah?
Can the Fire Chief order a burn ban in Neenah?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Neenah
How Neenah compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Neenah to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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