Sioux Falls, SD Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Sioux Falls, SD, 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
- Permit rule
- Operational permit required for open fires
- Exception
- Recreational fires exempt
- Permit fee
- $46 minimum, plus standby costs
- Enforcing agency
- Sioux Falls Fire Rescue
- Overlap rule
- Garbage/rubbish burning barred as nuisance
Summary
Sioux Falls requires an operational fire department permit before kindling or maintaining any open fire on public or private ground, with only recreational fires exempt from the permit rule.
105.5.34 Open burning. An operational permit is required for the kindling or maintaining of an open fire or a fire on any public street, alley, road, or other public or private ground. Instructions and stipulations of the permit shall be adhered to. Exception: Recreational fires.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-135: Current through local ordinance 54-26, passed 7-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
Under the city's amended 2021 International Fire Code, § 105.5.34 makes an operational permit mandatory for kindling or maintaining an open fire or a fire on any public street, alley, road, or other public or private ground, and requires compliance with the permit's instructions and stipulations; recreational fires are the sole exception. The city's fee schedule sets a $46 minimum open-burning permit fee, plus costs for fire rescue equipment and personnel standby when required. Separately, the nuisance code bars burning garbage, rubbish, leaves, or similar waste without an approved incinerator regardless of any fire permit.
Violations & Fines
Kindling or maintaining an open fire without the required permit violates Fire Code § 105.5.34, enforceable by Sioux Falls Fire Rescue; burning garbage or rubbish without an approved incinerator is also a prohibited nuisance under § 92.071(m)-(n).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a bonfire in Sioux Falls?
Can I burn yard waste or trash in my yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sioux Falls
How Sioux Falls compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Sioux Falls to another location·View the South Dakota fire regulations overview
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