New Haven, CT Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in New Haven, CT, 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
- outdoor burning banned citywide
- Exception
- written fire chief + health dept approval
- Food cooking
- exempt from the ban
- Hazard authority
- chief may ban all fires citywide
Summary
New Haven bans outdoor burning of trash, leaves, brush, building materials, and auto bodies citywide; the fire chief may authorize burning in writing with health department approval under Sec. 13-825(1).
No person shall cause, suffer, or allow the burning of materials of any type, including, but not limited to, trash, rubbish, garbage, leaves, brush, building materials, wire insulation, and automobile bodies, outdoors in the open air within the city limits. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the occasional cooking of food for human consumption. The chief of the department of fire service...is hereby authorized to permit in writing, the burning prohibited in subsection (a) at such places and under such conditions and safeguards as public convenience, health and safety require.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-825(1)(a) of the fire prevention code prohibits burning trash, rubbish, garbage, leaves, brush, building materials, wire insulation, or automobile bodies outdoors anywhere in the city, with only occasional food cooking exempted. The fire chief, with the public health director's approval, may permit such burning in writing at specified places and under specified conditions. The chief may also ban all fires citywide, or in any part of the city, when weather or local conditions make fires hazardous.
Violations & Fines
Burning without written fire-chief authorization violates Sec. 13-825; the chief may also suspend all burning citywide during hazardous wind or drought conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ever legally burn brush or leaves in New Haven?
Does grilling or backyard cooking count as banned burning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Haven
How New Haven compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare New Haven to another location·View the Connecticut fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle outdoor burning.