Palm Beach County, FL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Palm Beach County, FL, 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
- Scope
- Applies unincorporated and incorporated county
- General rule
- All open burning banned unless allowed
- Land clearing/yard waste
- Needs Health Department written approval
- Recreational fires
- Campfires, cooking fires allowed, no permit
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 60 days jail
Summary
Palm Beach County prohibits open burning countywide unless the material and method are specifically allowed under the Open Burning Ordinance, with narrow Health Department-approved exceptions for land clearing, yard waste, and residential tree debris.
General prohibition. Any open burning not specifically allowed by this article, by Florida Administrative Code Chapter 62-256, as amended or replaced, or Florida Administrative Code Chapter 5I-2, as amended or replaced, is prohibited. No person shall ignite, cause to be ignited, or permit to be ignited, any material which will result in any prohibited open burning as defined in this section; nor shall any person suffer, allow, conduct or maintain any prohibited open burning.
Full Breakdown
Under Palm Beach County Code Article V (Open Burning), the county bans any open burning that isn't specifically authorized: burning garbage, tires, treated wood, asphalt, plastics, or trash is flatly prohibited. Land-clearing, yard-waste, and residential tree-debris burning need written Health Department approval plus setbacks from occupied buildings and wildlands. Agricultural burning, training fires, and permitted air curtain incinerators are exempt. Recreational campfires and cooking fires are allowed without a permit if they don't produce excessive smoke. Unusually, this article applies within both unincorporated and incorporated Palm Beach County, though individual cities can adopt their own separate burning rules.
Violations & Fines
Violations are enforced by the county environmental control officer under Sec. 12-82; unless a stricter penalty applies, Code violations carry a fine up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or tree debris in Palm Beach County?
Is a backyard campfire legal in Palm Beach County?
Does the open burning ban apply inside cities like Boca Raton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach County
How Palm Beach County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Beach County to another location·View the Florida fire regulations overview
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