South Fulton, GA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in South Fulton, GA, 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
- Default rule
- Permit required for all open burning
- Burn hours (where allowed)
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Warming fire container
- 55-gallon barrel max
- Weekend/holiday burning
- Generally prohibited
- Bonfire setback
- 50 feet from structures
- Permits issued by
- Fire Prevention Division
Summary
South Fulton bans open burning anywhere in the city without a special permit from the fire marshal, subject to narrow exceptions for cooking, firefighter training and small warming fires. Sec. 13-4001 sets the general prohibition, and later sections in Chapter 4 fix strict hours, weather and distance conditions even for the activities that don't need a permit.
(a)General. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning in any area of the city without a special permit issued by the fire marshal pursuant to standards established by the fire department, except as follows...(b)(5)No open burning shall begin before sunup (7:00 AM) and must be extinguished by sundown (6:00 PM).(c)Penalties. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be cited for such violation and, upon conviction, shall be punished by fine or imprisonment as allowed under the city Code and Charter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-4001(a) provides that 'no person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning in any area of the city without a special permit issued by the fire marshal,' carving out limited exceptions: cooking food for immediate consumption (with charcoal burners barred within 10 feet of combustible construction except for one and two-family homes), firefighter training fires run by city personnel, open-flame equipment like candles and welding torches used with approved safety measures, and warming fires in a 55-gallon barrel or smaller attended by someone over 17, only in untreated wood, and only when the outside temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
). Sec. 13-4002 requires permits and fees for specific categories such as leaf burning, agricultural fires, forest land burning, bonfires kept at least 50 feet from any structure, and land-clearing pit fires, while listing recreational cookouts and warming fires as no-permit, no-fee activities that must still meet Sec. 13-4001's conditions. Sec. 13-4004 layers on a blanket weekend and holiday ban, prohibiting burning on Saturdays, Sundays, nights, and Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving and July 4th, with only leaf burning allowed on Saturdays.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 13-4001(c) makes any violation of the open-burning chapter punishable 'by fine or imprisonment as allowed under the city Code and Charter' upon conviction. Sec. 13-4001(d) separately authorizes the fire chief, fire marshal, their designees, or any law enforcement agent to 'summarily extinguish any open burning which is in violation' of the chapter or that otherwise poses an immediate threat to life and property, independent of any citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a backyard fire in South Fulton without a permit?
What hours is open burning allowed in South Fulton?
Who can put out an illegal fire in South Fulton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in South Fulton
How South Fulton compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare South Fulton to another location·View the Georgia fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fulton County handle outdoor burning.