Royal Oak, MI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Chapter 340, Article I of the Royal Oak City Code adopts the 2015 International Fire Code and adds local open-burning rules at § 340-5. The section defines "open burning" as fire not contained in a vessel designed to contain fire, then bars anyone from causing or permitting open burning of fuel, garbage, or other combustible refuse or waste material, expressly naming leaves, brush, tree trimmings, and grass as prohibited items. Residents cannot simply pile up autumn leaves and light them in the yard; that activity falls squarely within the ban.

The only way around the prohibition is a "special occasional open fire" permit: the Fire Chief or a designee must first determine the fire is not likely to create a hazard or nuisance to nearby property or people, and the Chief can attach conditions to that permit and charge a fee to recover the City's incidental costs. Section 340-5E separately repeals Section 307 of the 2015 International Fire Code, so the local open-burning rule, not the model code's version, controls in Royal Oak. Enforcement runs through the Fire Department; § 340-6 makes any violation of the article, including the open-burning ban, punishable by a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, at the court's discretion.

Because the ban covers "any" open burning of the listed materials with no seasonal exception, backyard bonfires, leaf-burning, and burn-barrel disposal of household refuse are all prohibited unless a Fire Chief permit is issued in advance.