Fire Regulations in Georgia (2026)

Augusta-Richmond County bans outdoor open burning within 100 feet of any residential dwelling or structure. Beyond that…

Unincorporated Bartow County lets the fire chief ban all open burning, including backyard campfires and bonfires…

Atlanta caps recreational fire pits at 2 by 3 feet, requires full screening, constant attendance, and 15 feet of…

Once an open fire is lawfully burning in unincorporated Carroll County, Section 42-8(b) sets a hard 30-foot buffer: no…

Chatham County Code Sec. 21-306 (amended 2020) lets residents in or within a mile of a city or subdivision use fire…

No permit is needed for a recreational fire in unincorporated Cherokee County, but it must sit at least 25 feet from…

Recreational backyard fires such as campfires and grilling are exempt from Georgia's open-burning ban and are allowed…

A legal recreational fire in unincorporated Cobb County can hold no more than three feet of fuel across and two feet…

Coweta County lets residents burn recreational fires, campfires and bonfires day or night under Code of Ordinances Sec…

Decatur, Georgia allows recreational fires only in commercially available chimineas or outdoor fireplaces under UDO…

A recreational cooking fire, such as a backyard fire pit, needs no burning permit in unincorporated Fayette County, but…

Backyard fire pits in unincorporated Forsyth County must sit at least 25 feet from any structure and otherwise comply…

Burning leaves, limbs, and yard vegetation in unincorporated Gwinnett is allowed without a permit, but only 50 feet…

Any authorized open fire in unincorporated Hall County, including a backyard fire pit, must sit at least 50 feet from a…

Henry County allows recreational campfires and fire pits without a permit, but a fire must sit inside a ring, pit, or…

Johns Creek's zoning code lets homeowners build outdoor fireplaces and uncovered kitchens only in the rear yard…

In unincorporated Newton County, no one may kindle a bonfire or rubbish fire without a burn permit from the county fire…

Backyard campfires and residential fire pits in unincorporated Paulding County are allowed without the outdoor-burn…

Roswell allows recreational campfires and fire pits only if confined to a pit or barbeque no more than 3 feet across…

Sandy Springs allows a warming fire in a barrel of 55 gallons or less, or a commercially sold outdoor fireplace device…

South Fulton lets residents run a warming fire or commercial outdoor fireplace device without a permit, but only inside…

Houston County treats small recreational fires and cooking fires as exempt from the state's open-burning restrictions…

Columbus, Georgia's open-burning ordinance exempts recreational backyard fires from its citywide burn prohibition…

Backyard campfires and barbecues in unincorporated Fulton County need no permit and no fee: Code § 30-42(a) requires…

Georgia legalized consumer fireworks statewide in 2015 and preempts most local bans, though cities retain limited…

Chatham County bans selling, wholesaling or otherwise disposing of fireworks and firecrackers anywhere in the…

Atlanta bans launching bottle rockets, firecrackers, sparklers, and similar combustible devices in city parks unless…

In unincorporated Cobb County, a temporary consumer fireworks retail stand must obtain a temporary business license and…

Fireworks and other pyrotechnics are banned in Fayette County's parks and recreation facilities unless the county parks…

Floyd County Code § 2-13-9 bans possessing or setting off fireworks in any county recreation facility. The Rome-Floyd…

Forsyth County bans launching fireworks, rockets or other pyrotechnics in any county park or recreation facility unless…

Gwinnett County bans possessing, displaying, using, or igniting fireworks, firecrackers, smoke bombs, rockets, or black…

In unincorporated Rockdale County's public parks and recreational areas, no one may discharge firecrackers, fireworks…

Inside any Whitfield County park or recreation facility, possessing, displaying, using or trying to ignite…

In unincorporated Bartow County it is unlawful to ignite fireworks or consumer fireworks before 10:00 a.m. or after…

Consumer fireworks are legal statewide in Georgia. Any day you may use them from 10:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., extended on…

Columbus, Georgia limits when consumer fireworks may be ignited, generally barring use between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m…

Unincorporated DeKalb County bars consumer fireworks before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m., with extended hours on July 4…

Hall County Code § 8.100.030 makes it unlawful to sell, ignite, possess, manufacture, transport or store consumer…

Macon-Bibb County bans consumer fireworks between 9:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. except on January 1, July 3, July 4 and…

Marietta adopts Georgia's fireworks law, O.C.G.A. § 25-10-1 et seq., by reference under Code § 2-6-160 rather than…

Temporary consumer fireworks retail sales stands in unincorporated Newton County must be licensed through the county…

Roswell, Georgia limits consumer fireworks use to 10 a.m.–9 p.m. most days, extended on New Year's and July 3–4, bans…

South Fulton doesn't ban fireworks outright but folds them into its noise ordinance: igniting fireworks that produce…

Unincorporated Walton County bans setting off consumer fireworks between 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., except on the dates…

Since July 1, 2021, Georgia no longer requires a Forestry Commission permit or notification to burn hand-piled natural…

Chatham County Code Sec. 21-502 requires premises be kept clear of overgrown grass or weeds eighteen (18) inches or…

Clayton County has no wildfire defensible-space mandate. If you clear brush, you may not burn the debris from May 1…

Georgia has no statewide defensible-space mandate, and Forsyth County sets no residential brush-clearance requirement…

Acworth bans bonfires of any kind within city limits at any time unless the board of aldermen has designated and…

Atlanta prohibits burning construction debris, stump and land-clearing debris, and virtually all other outdoor fires…

Unincorporated Bartow County bans burning treated wood, plastics, rubber including tires, petroleum products and…

Chatham County Code Sec. 21-306 prohibits open burning within one mile of any city boundary or platted residential…

Dunwoody prohibits all open burning of yard waste citywide, including brush, leaves, grass and clippings, under City…

Augusta-Richmond County prohibits outdoor open burning within 100 feet of any residential dwelling or structure…

Open burning anywhere in unincorporated Carroll County requires a permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission in…

Cherokee County bans burning garbage, petroleum-based products, and barrel burning outright, plus all outdoor burning…

Unincorporated Cobb County bans burning petroleum products, tires, garbage, and any fire in a barrel outright under…

Columbia County enforces open burning through what its code calls the 'Columbia County Open Burning Code,' Code of…

Columbus, Georgia (Muscogee County) bans open burning of garbage, leaves, and construction debris citywide, allowing…

Coweta County bans outdoor burning anytime the Georgia EPD declares a ban and lets its own fire marshal impose a…

Decatur, Georgia bans open burning of leaves, rubbish, or trash citywide under UDO Sec. 10.2.1.B, with narrow…

Unincorporated Fayette County requires a residential or commercial permit before any open burning, and bans all open…

The joint Fire Chief of Rome and Floyd County can ban all open burning, including campfires and bonfires, whenever…

Open burning anywhere in unincorporated Forsyth County needs a permit unless the fire falls on a short exempt list, and…

Unincorporated Fulton County bans open burning on weekends, nights and holidays, and lets the fire marshal halt any…

Open burning in unincorporated Gwinnett County runs through the fire marshal's office: land-clearing pit fires need a…

Henry County bans open burning countywide except for narrow listed uses: cooking, firefighter training, approved flame…

Houston County bans open burning outright from May 1 through September 30 each year, with narrow carve-outs for…

Open burning anywhere in Johns Creek requires a special permit from the fire marshal, with narrow exceptions for…

Macon-Bibb County makes it unlawful to conduct any type of outdoor burning without first getting approval from the Fire…

Open burning is prohibited within Marietta city limits under Code § 2-6-120, which incorporates Georgia EPD Rule…

In unincorporated Newton County, burning hand-piled natural vegetation needs a permit from the Georgia Forestry…

Open burning in unincorporated Paulding County is banned outright during the state's seasonal burn ban, typically May 1…

Unincorporated Rockdale County bans outdoor burning under the state Environmental Protection Division's Summer Burn Ban…

Roswell bans open burning of refuse, brush, leaves, grass clippings, and trash anywhere in the city, with only narrow…

Sandy Springs bans open burning citywide except for a short list of permitted activities: cooking food, fire department…

South Fulton bans open burning anywhere in the city without a special permit from the fire marshal, subject to narrow…

Burning refuse or trash anywhere in Warner Robins is illegal unless the fire chief grants permission first. Sec. 8-9 of…

Open burning of natural vegetation is allowed only outside the summer burn ban and must be at least 25 feet from any…

Section 8.110.010 bans open burning anywhere in unincorporated Hall County unless it fits one of seven listed…

The Georgia Forestry Commission has statewide wildfire suppression authority and may declare burn bans, restrict…

Acworth's zoning code requires a hard-wired smoke detector in every guest room of an extended-stay hotel or motel…

Every dwelling unit in Atlanta must have an approved smoke detector on each level, loud enough to wake sleeping…

Unincorporated Bartow County requires an operable battery-powered smoke detector in every bedroom of a pre-owned…

Carroll County requires interconnected, hard-wired smoke alarms with battery backup in every bedroom, sleeping area and…

Chatham County's Property Maintenance Code requires every dwelling unit in the unincorporated county to have an…

Cherokee County requires a working smoke detector in every bedroom, just outside each bedroom, and on every story of a…

Georgia state law requires an approved smoke detector in every dwelling. Detectors must be mounted centrally in the…

Columbia County requires a hard-wired smoke detector, approved by the fire marshal, in every hotel and motel guestroom…

Under the Fire Alarm Code, UDO Sec. 10.2.4.G, every structure in Decatur, Georgia that is newly built, substantially…

Every guest room in a DeKalb County hotel, motel or extended-stay hotel must have a hard-wired, tamper-resistant smoke…

Unincorporated Floyd County requires an operational smoke detector before any mobile home may relocate within the…

Forsyth County requires a working smoke detector in every bedroom, adjoining hallway, and common area of a licensed…

Gwinnett County has no standalone smoke-alarm ordinance; instead, Code § 42-19 adopts the State Minimum Fire Safety…

Every manufactured home installed in unincorporated Hall County must have an operable battery-powered smoke detector in…

Macon-Bibb County Code Section 13-24(10) requires every manufactured home, mobile home, and pre-owned manufactured home…

Marietta requires early fire detection systems throughout all multifamily occupancies under Code § 2-6-140(E). Existing…

Every dwelling unit in unincorporated Newton County must have an approved, listed smoke detector installed per the…

Rockdale County's Unified Development Ordinance requires every previously occupied manufactured home moved into the…

Roswell, Georgia folds its smoke-alarm mandate into the multi-family rental housing inspection program: owners of four…

Sandy Springs requires early fire detection throughout multifamily occupancies: new multifamily buildings must have a…

South Fulton's extended-stay hotel ordinance requires a hard-wired smoke detector and a working sprinkler system in…

In unincorporated Walton County, a pre-owned manufactured home cannot get a certificate of occupancy without an…

Every pre-owned manufactured home installed in Warner Robins must have an operable battery-powered smoke detector in…

Whitfield County does not codify a general residential smoke-alarm mandate, but Sec. 5-124(5)(e) requires every…

Georgia regulates propane storage statewide through the Safety Fire Commissioner under the Liquefied Petroleum Safety…

South Fulton restricts where liquefied petroleum gas can be stored outdoors by adopting the International Fire Code's…

Atlanta requires a fire permit to install or maintain any LP gas container, with construction plans required once a…

In unincorporated Bartow County, propane (LP-gas) storage tanks are a permitted use in the C-1 general business…

Cobb County exempts small residential propane tanks entirely from its tank ordinance: a container used only for heating…

Anyone storing liquefied petroleum gas in bulk in unincorporated Gwinnett County must comply with both the county…

Macon-Bibb County keeps outdoor aboveground propane and other fuel-gas tanks at least 500 feet from any residential…

Fayette County does not require a building or gas permit to install an underground or above-ground LP-gas (propane)…