Springfield, OH Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Chapter 1511 defines "open burning" as combustion whose air contaminants go straight into the open air without passing through a stack or chimney, including burning refuse or salvageable material in a device not built to meet Ohio Administrative Code design standards, under Section 1511.01(g). "Restricted area" is defined at Section 1511.01(i) as any municipal corporation's boundary plus a buffer, one mile beyond a city with 10,000 or more residents by the latest federal census, which covers Springfield's roughly 58,000 residents and the land surrounding it.

Section 1511.03(a) bans open burning inside that restricted area outright except as listed in subsections (b) through (d) or under Ohio R.C. 3704.11. Subsection (b) exempts cooking fires and specific occupational uses without any EPA notice. Subsection (c) allows disease- or pest-control burning and conditioned ceremonial fires, capped at under 5 feet by 5 feet and burning no more than 3 hours, with prior notice to the Ohio EPA. Subsection (d) allows disposal of ignitable or explosive materials, firefighting training, emergencies, and recognized land-management burns only with the Ohio EPA's written permission.

Section 1511.02 layers on an absolute ban during any state air alert, warning, or emergency, and makes clear that no State permission to burn excuses compliance with any City ordinance regulating open burning. Violating any Chapter 1511 provision, including burning without qualifying for an exception, is a third-degree misdemeanor under Section 1511.99.