Outdoor burning rules in Wichita, KS — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Open burning of trash, leaves, and yard waste is prohibited within Wichita city limits under Wichita Code Chapter 9.04 and Sedgwick County air-quality regulations. Recreational fires in approved containers are allowed, and Kansas Forest Service burn permits apply only outside the city in unincorporated grasslands.
Wichita generally bans open burning within the city limits to protect air quality in the Sedgwick County non-attainment monitoring area. Wichita Code Chapter 9.04 prohibits burning trash, leaves, brush, construction debris, or yard waste on any property inside the city, regardless of lot size. Limited exceptions exist for recreational fires in manufactured fire pits or chimineas (see backyard-fires), ceremonial fires with prior Fire Department approval, and certain prescribed agricultural burns on the urban fringe authorized in writing by the Wichita Fire Marshal. Outside city limits, Sedgwick County and the Kansas Forest Service permit controlled grassland burns during the Flint Hills burning window (typically March 1 through April 30), but burners must register through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment burn-notification system and follow smoke-management plans. Burning during a declared red-flag warning, ozone-action day, or county burn ban is prohibited everywhere in the metro area, with violations punishable by municipal-court fines and potential reimbursement of any fire-suppression costs.
Specific penalty amounts for this ordinance are not published in a publicly accessible fine schedule. Contact Wichita code enforcement directly for current fines, enforcement procedures, and hearing options.
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