Stonecrest, GA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Sec. 12-146(a) states that no person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning in any area of the city except as follows, then lists four carve-outs. Cooking fires for immediate human consumption are allowed, but outside one- and two-family dwellings it is unlawful to use charcoal burners or other open flame cooking devices on combustible balconies or within ten feet of combustible construction. Open-flame devices such as candles, lanterns, tar kettles, blow torches and welding torches are allowed if approved safety measures are used.

Land-clearing or right-of-way burning is allowed only outside residential areas. Warming fires are capped at a 55-gallon barrel or a commercially sold outdoor fireplace, must burn only untreated wood or lumber, must not produce dense smoke or obnoxious odors, and must be attended by someone over 17. Sec. 12-146(b) layers standards on top of every permitted burn: materials such as heavy oils, gasoline, asphaltic materials, plastic, or rubber-containing items can never be used to start or maintain a fire; all burning must stay on private property clear of public streets and sidewalks; and no burn may violate federal EPA or state Environmental Protection Division rules or the state minimum fire safety standards adopted in Sec.

12-58. Because Stonecrest's fire services run through DeKalb County under the intergovernmental Fire IGA referenced in Sec. 12-25(a), county fire personnel are the ones who typically respond to and cite illegal burns on the ground. Sec. 12-86(a) makes any chapter 12 violation, including illegal open burning, an ordinance violation punishable by fine or imprisonment on conviction, and Sec. 12-86(b) requires the violator to still correct the condition regardless of the penalty.