Norwalk, CT Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Norwalk Code § 71-19 opens with a blanket rule: no person shall, without first obtaining a permit from the Fire Marshal, make or cause to be made within the city any outdoor fire, except as the section itself provides. Three categories are carved out from the permit requirement. Waste other than garbage may be burned in a standard waste burner with a closed top built of brick, plate iron, steel, or wire, placed at least 15 feet from any structure and at least 3 feet from any property line, with specific gauge requirements for plate iron, steel, or wire construction and a maximum one-inch mesh opening.

Garbage may be burned only in an appliance or incinerator specifically designed for garbage disposal by heat, producing no obnoxious odors, and approved by the National Board of Fire Underwriters or the American Gas Association. Cooking fires are allowed in an outdoor fireplace or barbecue pit built to confine the fire and sited so it creates no fire hazard. For any other fire not covered by those exceptions, § 71-20 lets the Fire Marshal grant a permit at his sound discretion after weighing wind conditions, the type and quantity of material to be burned, proximity to dwellings and outbuildings, and available precautions for keeping the fire under control.

Section 71-21 allows the permit application to be made orally and requires it to be promptly granted or denied orally, with a written confirmation to follow if granted.