Rowlett, TX Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Rowlett's 'Open Fires and Cooking' page states that under Section 307.1.1 'burning of refuse, debris and yard waste in the city limits is prohibited,' and that open burning which is 'offensive or objectionable because of smoke emissions' is not allowed. In practice this means residents cannot burn leaves, grass clippings, brush, trash, or construction debris anywhere in the city. The only fires permitted are contained recreational or cooking fires that meet the fire-pit clearance rules and do not create hazardous smoke. This city ban is consistent with - and stricter than - Texas's statewide framework. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) sets a general statewide prohibition on outdoor burning under 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 111, Subchapter B, with narrow exceptions (for example, residential domestic-waste burning is allowed only where the local government does not provide trash collection). Because Rowlett provides municipal waste collection and has its own ordinance prohibiting refuse and yard-waste burning, the domestic-waste exception does not apply and burning is simply not allowed. Rowlett residents should dispose of yard waste through the City's collection and brush programs rather than burning it. During declared county burn bans, even otherwise-allowed fires can be further restricted.