Yonkers, NY Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

" The prohibition applies citywide and is not limited to rubbish: leaves, logs and wood are named specifically, so residential leaf burning and backyard bonfires fall inside the ban along with trash and debris fires. Subsection B gives the Fire Commissioner discretionary authority to "prohibit any or all burning when such burning is a hazard to life or property," a standing burn-ban power the department can invoke without further legislative action, for example during dry conditions or air-quality alerts. The section sits among other Article III fire-precaution rules (open-flame restrictions in § 59-46, trapdoor and meter-room rules in §§ 59-47 to 59-48) that the Yonkers Fire Department enforces as part of its general fire-prevention inspection program.

Violations of Chapter 59 are enforced under the chapter's penalty scheme at § 59-40: absent an enhanced offense, a violation is a Class II offense, and Class II offenses carry criminal fines together with the possibility of a civil penalty, plus the Fire Department's ability to issue an order to eliminate the hazardous condition under § 59-41. There is no permit process in this section for a supervised or contained fire; the text draws no line between a rubbish fire and a backyard bonfire, so any open burning on a lot is prohibited outright unless another chapter of the Uniform Code creates a narrow exception.