Waterloo, IA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 4-3-7C1 declares rubbish and trash thrown, deposited or accumulated in or about a building, cellar, street or alley a nuisance subject to abatement, and it flatly states that all open burning of solid waste shall be prohibited. Section 4-3-7C2 adds that any tire fire on a property is presumed to have been set by the property owner, or by the occupant if the owner does not live there, and that person must identify who actually set it if they did not.

The only relief is the special exception process in § 4-3-8. The city itself may burn trees, trimmings and storm debris generated by its forestry, street or other departments without triggering the ban. For everyone else, the city council can grant a limited exception, most often for burning native vegetation as a recognized management technique. An applicant files with the city clerk's office, and the fire department (which may consult leisure services and public works) reviews the request before it goes to the council. The application must give the applicant's name, address and phone number, the location and size of the burn area, the dates and times, the vegetation description, the management technique and the containment plan, plus a $50 filing fee. The fire department separately charges for standby crews and for extinguishing any fire that gets out of control, billed under City Code § 9-2A-12. The department also checks atmospheric conditions and state-law compliance before the burn is allowed. Anyone who believes they would be adversely affected can file a statement with the city clerk, which can trigger a public hearing. Denials can be appealed to the district court for Black Hawk County, reviewed de novo on the record.