With the warmer weather comes more time outdoors, including taking in the simple pleasures of a backyard fire. Before lighting up, make sure to review the City of Minneapolis ordinances below to help keep neighborhoods safe and livable:
- Outdoor recreational fires are permitted between 9 am and 10 pm.
- Keep fires small: less than three feet in diameter and two feet high.
- Postpone a fire when Minneapolis is under an air pollution advisory. Fires release fine particles that contribute to air pollution and are implicated in health problems including strokes, heart attacks, and asthma. Sign up for air quality alerts at mn.enviroflash.info.
- Burn only untreated, unpainted, dry wood. Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris, because the smoke can be toxic.
- Fires must be at least 25 feet away from a structure or combustible material and in a fire ring or pit with edges more than six inches high.
- Have a hose or fire extinguisher present.
- Postpone the fire when the wind exceeds 10 mph.
- Fires must be constantly attended by someone 18 years or older and completely out before being abandoned.
Illegal open burning or recreational fires could result in fines that start at $200.
Be a good neighbor
These simple suggestions could help neighbors be considerate of each other when having a fire:
- Let neighbors know when planning a fire.
- Postpone a fire when smoke will blow directly at a neighbor’s house or when still weather conditions prevent smoke from moving away at all.
For more information on recreational fires or to register a complaint about a recreational fire, call 311 or email Minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov, or to register a complaint about a recreational fire outside 311 hours, call 911. The Fire and Police departments are authorized to extinguish a fire immediately if it violates City ordinances.
For more on Minneapolis law on recreational fires, visit the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Chapter 178 at minneapolismn.gov/government/ord/index.htm.
Information provided by the City of Minneapolis
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