Roswell, GA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Roswell, GA, 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
- Open burning of refuse/yard debris banned
- Exceptions
- Cooking, recreational, and warming fires only
- Burn-ban authority
- Fire marshal can prohibit any burning
- Penalty
- $25-$500 fine per day
Summary
Roswell bans open burning of refuse, brush, leaves, grass clippings, and trash anywhere in the city, with only narrow, size-limited exceptions for cooking, recreational, and warming fires, and the fire marshal can shut those down in hazardous conditions.
Except as otherwise provided by the law, or as otherwise set forth in this chapter, no persons shall cause, allow or permit open burning of refuse, rubbish, brush, wood, trash, leaves, grass, grass clippings, tree limbs or other combustible materials anywhere in the city. ... Burning under hazardous conditions. The fire marshal may prohibit any open burning when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such burning hazardous.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 17 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
City of Roswell Code § 8.3.15 makes it unlawful to cause, allow or permit open burning of refuse, rubbish, brush, wood, trash, leaves, grass clippings or tree limbs anywhere in the city, subject only to the narrow, dimension-limited exceptions in § 8.3.15(a) for cooking fires, recreational campfires, construction-site warming fires, and equipment requiring open flame. Flammable liquids may never be used to start a fire. Under § 8.3.15(e), the fire marshal may prohibit any open burning, including an otherwise-permitted exception, whenever atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make it hazardous.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 8.3.15 is punishable by a fine of $25.00 to $500.00 per offense, with each day a separate offense; a violation triggering a fire department response also makes the violator liable for response costs under § 8.3.15(g).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or trash in my Roswell, Georgia backyard?
Can the city stop an otherwise-legal fire?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roswell
How Roswell compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Roswell to another location·View the Georgia fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fulton County handle outdoor burning.