Wauwatosa, WI Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Wauwatosa, WI, 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
- Leaf/yard-waste burning
- Prohibited citywide, Section 14.26.010
- Improved street/alley burning
- Prohibited, Section 14.24.010
- Burn suspension authority
- Fire dept. or health officer, Section 14.24.080
- Leaf-burn ban adopted
- Ord. O-86-12 (1986)
- General penalty
- $1 to $5,000 forfeiture per offense
Summary
Wauwatosa bars burning leaves, lawn or garden refuse anywhere in the city, public or private, under Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 14.26.010. Section 14.24.010 separately makes it unlawful to burn any substance in an improved street, alley, parkway or public place, and Section 14.24.080 lets the fire department or health officer suspend all outdoor burning citywide when weather makes it hazardous.
Except as provided below, it is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to burn any substance or material in any improved street, alley, parkway or other improved public place in the city. ... The Wauwatosa fire department or the Wauwatosa health officer may suspend outdoor burning within the city in the event of weather or climactic conditions which make such burning hazardous, or for any other reason deemed hazardous, for the protection of persons and property. ... The burning of leaves or lawn or garden refuse upon any private properties, public properties or public rights-of-way within the city of Wauwatosa is prohibited.
Full Breakdown
010, adopted by Ord. O-86-12 in 1986, prohibits burning leaves or lawn or garden refuse on private properties, public properties and public rights-of-way within the city, with no exception carved out for residential yard waste. A violator is subject to the general penalty provisions of the Wauwatosa Code of Ordinances. 010, adopted by Ord. O-03-7 in 2003, separately bars burning any substance or material in an improved street, alley, parkway or other improved public place in the city, reinforcing that public rights-of-way are never a lawful burn location.
040, items that may not be burned outdoors at all: garbage, leaves or garden refuse, waste materials from commercial construction projects, and any other items the Wauwatosa fire department specifically designates. 080 gives the fire department or the Wauwatosa health officer standing authority to suspend all outdoor burning in the city during hazardous weather or climatic conditions, or for any other reason deemed hazardous to persons or property, which functions as the city's burn-ban trigger independent of the standing leaf-burning prohibition. 070.
Violations & Fines
Section 14.26.010 routes violations to the code's general penalty provisions, and Chapter 14 offenses generally resolve to Section 1.12.010: a forfeiture of one to five thousand dollars for a first offense and twenty-five to two thousand dollars for a repeat offense of the same provision, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn leaves in my own backyard in Wauwatosa?
Can the city order a burn ban during dry or windy weather?
Is burning debris in the street or alley ever allowed?
What can be burned outdoors in Wauwatosa at all?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
How Wauwatosa compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Wauwatosa to another location·View the Wisconsin fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle outdoor burning.