Outdoor burning rules in Plymouth County, MA — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Open burning across Plymouth County is legal only January 15–May 1, and only with a permit from the local fire department under MGL c.48 §13. Each permit covers a maximum of two days.
MGL c.48 §13 bars any open-air fire without permission from the forest warden or fire chief, and every permit is limited to two days. Statewide, open burning of brush and forestry debris is allowed only from January 15 through May 1; outside that window it is prohibited in Brockton, Plymouth, Duxbury, and the rest of Plymouth County. Burning of leaves, garbage, tires, and construction debris is never allowed. A 75-foot setback from dwellings applies under 310 CMR 7.07. Fire departments grant daily permits based on conditions and may revoke them at any time.
Burning without a permit, or outside the permitted season, is punished by a fine of up to $500 plus the cost of suppression, or imprisonment for up to one month.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Plymouth County, MA
No Plymouth County or state law limits holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays. Towns rarely regulate seasonal decorations at all, and where a bylaw to...
Plymouth County, MA
No Plymouth County rule governs garage-sale signs; towns handle them through local sign bylaws. On your own lawn a yard-sale sign is generally fine, but a si...
Plymouth County, MA
Towns, not Plymouth County, regulate signs, through zoning bylaws authorized by MGL c.40A. Those bylaws must stay content-neutral: after Reed v. Town of Gilb...
Plymouth County, MA
Rental registration and inspection are local powers, not county ones. The State Sanitary Code under MGL c.111 §127A lets each town's board of health enforce ...
Plymouth County, MA
Massachusetts has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Plymouth County town can add one. A landlord ends a tenancy at will with 30 days' written noti...
Plymouth County, MA
Rent control is illegal across every Plymouth County community. Massachusetts voters banned it in 1994 through Question 9, now codified as MGL c.40P §4: no c...
See how Plymouth County's outdoor burning rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.