Sparks, NV Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Sparks, NV, 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
- Covers
- Open-flame fires & portable devices on public property
- Legal without permit
- Only in a city fire/barbeque pit or designated area
- Exception
- Special event or temporary use permit
- Applies to
- Public property only, not private yards
- Added
- Ordinance 2630, July 24, 2023
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail (SMC 1.12.010)
Summary
Sparks bans starting or maintaining any open-flame fire on public property unless it's in a city-provided fire or barbeque pit or another city-designated area. The only way around the ban is a special event permit or a temporary use permit, and the rule sits alongside a companion ban on unsafe blow torch and propane tank use on the same public land.
It is unlawful for any person to start or maintain an open-flame fire on any public property which is not in a fire or barbeque pit provided by the city or another area designated for such use by the city. Any use of an outdoor fire or portable open-flame device is exempt from this provision if the person has obtained a special event permit and/or a temporary use permit from the city.
Full Breakdown
61, 'Use of Generators and Fires,' was added by Ordinance 2630 in July 2023 and amended the following September by Ordinance 2631. 010 targets 'outdoor fires and portable open-flame devices' and applies only to public property, meaning city streets, parks, sidewalks, Victorian Square and similar city-owned or -controlled land; it does not reach fires on private residential property, which the city's separate fire prevention rules handle. An open flame is legal on public land only inside a fire or barbeque pit the city has provided, or in another area the city has specifically designated for that use.
The chapter builds in the same narrow exception used elsewhere in Title 9: anyone who has obtained a special event permit or a temporary use permit from the city can use an outdoor fire or portable open-flame device outside those designated pits, matching the permit track that governs vendors, sound equipment and generators at the same events. 030 requires a special use permit before placing a portable generator on a public sidewalk, right-of-way or street. 010, which the Sparks Fire Department and Police Department both rely on when citing a violation.
Violations & Fines
Starting or maintaining an open-flame fire on public property outside a city-provided pit or designated area, without a special event or temporary use permit, violates SMC 9.61.010. Because Chapter 9.61 sets no penalty of its own, the offense is punished under the code's general misdemeanor section, SMC 1.12.010: a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with continuing violations counted as a separate offense each day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I light a campfire in a Sparks city park?
Does this rule cover fires in my own backyard?
What's the penalty for an illegal open fire on city land?
How do I get permission for a fire at a public event?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sparks
How Sparks compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Sparks to another location·View the Nevada fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Washoe County handle outdoor burning.