Salem, OR Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

334 makes it unlawful, within the corporate City limits, to open burn garbage or vegetative debris from yard cleanup, defining "vegetative debris from yard cleanup" as wood, needle or leaf material from trees, shrubs or plants and "garbage" as wasted or spoiled food or other refuse commonly found in a kitchen or household. The ban is unconditional and year-round; it applies regardless of weather and carries no residential permit path, unlike recreational fires. 1 to give the Fire Code Official standing authority to impose a limited or total ban on recreational fires when weather stays dry, hot or windy for an extended period.

The code lists five criteria the Fire Code Official may use: forecast highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above, relative humidity at or below 30 percent, forecast winds of 15 mph or higher, a locally issued red flag warning, or a burn ban declared by the Marion or Polk County Fire Defense Board. Because Salem sits inside both counties' fire defense board jurisdictions, a county-level declaration alone can trigger a city recreational-fire ban. Enforcement runs through the Fire Code Official under SRC chapter 58, the Fire Prevention Code, which adopts the Oregon Fire Code as locally amended. 334 is a flat prohibition distinct from the conditional recreational-fire ban authority.