Warren, MI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Warren, MI, 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
- Baseline rule
- All open burning needs approval, § 13-51
- Allowed without permit
- Barbecues, fireplaces, training fires, § 13-52
- Always banned
- Trash, leaves, grass, carcasses, § 13-52(6)
- Hazard authority
- Fire official can order extinguishment, § 13-54
- Setback
- 50 feet from structures, 15 feet in a container, § 13-55
Summary
Warren bans kindling or maintaining any open burning unless it is conducted and approved under Section 13-51, and Section 13-54 separately prohibits burning that becomes offensive or hazardous due to smoke, odor, or atmospheric conditions, giving the fire code official extinguishment authority.
Sec. 13-51: A person shall not kindle or maintain or authorize to be kindled or maintained any open burning unless conducted and approved in accordance with this section. Sec. 13-54: Open burning that will be offensive or objectionable because of smoke or odor emissions when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous shall be prohibited. The fire code official is authorized to order the extinguishment by the permit holder or the fire department of open burning which creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 102).
Full Breakdown
Section 13-51 sets the baseline rule for Division 5 of the fire code: a person cannot kindle or maintain, or authorize anyone else to kindle or maintain, any open burning unless it is conducted and approved in accordance with the division. Section 13-52 then lists the narrow categories allowed without prior notice or a permit, provided they are constantly attended: cooking barbecues using only charcoal, LP-gas or natural gas; outdoor fireplaces burning only dry, seasoned firewood under hour and equipment restrictions; controlled fires run by qualified instructors for fire suppression training; and heating fires at construction sites using approved fuel in an approved container.
Section 13-52(6) flatly bans burning construction and demolition waste, garbage, animal carcasses, refuse, trash, rubbish, hedge clippings, leaves or grass, or any material giving off foul odors. Anything outside those allowed categories, such as burning for silvicultural or wildlife management practices, disease or pest control, or a bonfire, needs a permit from the code official under Section 13-53, issued only to the landowner. Section 13-54 adds a separate, standing prohibition: open burning that becomes offensive or objectionable because of smoke or odor, or that atmospheric or local conditions make hazardous, is prohibited outright, and the fire code official can order the permit holder or the fire department to extinguish it.
Section 13-55 requires any open burning to stay at least 50 feet from a structure, or 15 feet if it is in an approved container.
Violations & Fines
Kindling open burning without approval under Section 13-51, burning a prohibited material under Section 13-52(6), or burning without the required permit under Section 13-53 exposes the responsible person to extinguishment by the fire department and enforcement under the International Fire Code adopted by Section 13-2; Section 13-54 separately authorizes the fire code official to order immediate extinguishment of any burn that becomes smoke, odor, or hazard offensive, regardless of whether it was otherwise approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Warren require a permit before burning anything outdoors?
Can Warren shut down a fire that was already approved?
What can never be burned outdoors in Warren?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Warren
How Warren compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Warren to another location·View the Michigan fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Macomb County handle outdoor burning.