Sherman, TX Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Sherman adopts the 2021 International Fire Code in § 3.04.001(a) and rewrites the open burning sections. Section 307.2 requires a permit from the fire code official before kindling a fire for silvicultural, range or wildlife management practices, prevention or control of disease or pests, or a bonfire, and only the owner of the land where the fire is kindled can apply or hold the permit. A list of fires is excepted from the permit if they meet every condition: a pile 5 feet or less in diameter and 5 feet or less in height, atmospheric humidity of 40 percent or greater with maximum wind speed of 15 miles per hour or less, no more than one pile burning at a time, prior notification to the Sherman Fire Marshal's Office, and compliance with all Texas Commission on Environmental Quality conditions.

Section 307.4 fixes the location: not less than 100 feet from any structure or the property boundary, with provisions to stop the fire spreading within that distance, and not less than 300 feet from any sensitive receptor as defined in 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 111.203(8) unless the receptor's owner gives written permission. Two exceptions apply: fires in approved containers not less than 15 feet from a structure, fencing or property boundary, and a 25 foot distance for a pile 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height.

Section 307.4.1 is short: bonfires are prohibited. The amended text prints no reference to a county burn ban. The Sherman Fire Marshal's Office is the agency under § 103.1, and the fire chief appoints the fire marshal under § 103.2. Under § 5.01.002, a person can appeal a fire marshal decision to the building code board of adjustments by filing in writing within five days of notice.