Rock Island County, IL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Rock Island County, IL, 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
- Governing section
- § 52.03(A), County Code
- Only exception
- Infectious/contaminated waste, burned on premises
- Maximum fine
- $500 per day
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
- Enforcing agency
- County Dept. of Public Health
Summary
Rock Island County bans burning refuse anywhere in the unincorporated area except the one narrow case the code allows: bedding, clothing, or other articles contaminated by infectious or contagious disease may be burned on the premises under § 52.03(B), with the ashes then bagged for disposal. Ordinary yard waste, household trash, and construction debris may not be burned.
(A) Burning of refuse. No person shall be permitted to burn refuse in the county except as provided in division (B) below. (B) Infected refuse. No person shall place or cause to be placed in refuse containers any bedding, clothing, or other articles contaminated by infectious or contagious disease. All such refuse shall be burned on the premises, and the ashes shall be placed in suitable containers, or such infectious waste shall be disposed of according to law off the premises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).
Full Breakdown
03(A) states flatly that no person shall be permitted to burn refuse in the county except as provided in division (B), the code's only carved-out exception. Division (B) limits that exception to infected refuse: bedding, clothing, or other articles contaminated by an infectious or contagious disease must be burned on the premises, and the resulting ashes placed in suitable containers, or the infectious waste must instead be disposed of according to law off the premises. 05 or to a lawful disposal site. The rule sits inside the same accumulation-and-disposal section that sets the two-week removal floor and the junk-yard carve-out, so a resident cannot use a backyard burn barrel to get around the removal deadline.
678 tells buyers directly that county law prohibits burning of domestic trash in a burn barrel and that household waste must instead be hauled to a landfill. Because the ban sits in the solid-waste subchapter enforced by the County Department of Public Health, it applies only to the unincorporated county.
Violations & Fines
Burning refuse outside the infectious-waste exception violates § 52.03(A) and, like other violations of §§ 52.01 through 52.07, is a petty offense fined up to $500 under § 52.99(B), with each day the fire or burn pile persists charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or leaves in a burn barrel in the unincorporated county?
Is there ever a legal reason to burn waste on my property?
What is the fine for illegal open burning in Rock Island County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
How Rock Island County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Rock Island County to another location·View the Illinois fire regulations overview
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