Many homeowners enjoy backyard campfires for recreation and cooking.  If you are one of these homeowners, knowing your community’s open burning ordinance and understanding the following requirements will help you have a safe and responsible backyard recreational campfire for your family, neighbors and community.

Requirements:

  • No recreational campfire shall be closer than 15 feet (20 feet by Town of Holland ordinance) from any building, structure, shed, garage, fence, or any other combustible material.
  • Fire pits that are dug into the ground shall not be greater than three feet in diameter and shall be surrounded on the outside of the pit by a non-combustible material such as gravel, brick, concrete or rock to prevent the spread of flames across the ground.
  • Portable freestanding fire pits (defined as devices commercially designed and intended to contain and control outdoor wood fires) may be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and within the above requirements and must be used upon a non-combustible surface (dirt clear of any vegetation, brick, stone, concrete, etc.) which extends beyond the outside diameter of the portable fire pit.
  • Clean, dry, untreated wood is the only material which may be burned in a recreational campfire. By way of illustration but not limitation, the following materials shall not be burned in a recreational fire: rubbish, garage, recyclable items, yard waste, trash, any materials made of or coated with rubber, plastic, leather, or petroleum-based materials, flammable or combustible liquids, shingles and other construction materials.
  • All recreational campfires shall be attended at all times by at least one responsible person of age 18 or older from the ignition of the fire until the fire is completely extinguished.
  • No recreational campfire shall have flames extending greater than three feet above the top surface of the pit.
  • No recreational fire shall be started or allowed to continue burning when the wind direction or wind speed will cause smoke, embers, or other burning materials to be carried by the wind toward any building or other combustible materials. The fire shall be extinguished immediately upon the complaint of a neighboring property owner of any nuisance smoke.
  • Adequate fire suppression equipment (i.e. garden hose, shovel, sand, or fire extinguisher) shall be immediately available to extinguish or control the recreational fire.
  • The Fire Chief or designee, or any Law Enforcement Officer, is authorized to require that recreational campfires be immediately discontinued if found in violation of local ordinance, or if a Fire Official or Law Enforcement Officer determines that the campfire constitutes a hazardous or nuisance condition. Any person or persons who fail to comply with these conditions may be issued a citation.
  • Recreational campfires are not allowed when the Holmen Area Fire Department Fire Chief has declared a burning ban that includes recreational fires.  In general, this is in concert when the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources classifies La Crosse County at the Very High or Extreme Fire Danger level.

Liability:

A person utilizing or maintaining a recreational campfire shall be responsible for all fire suppression costs and any other liability resulting from damage caused by the fire, even if the burning was done in accordance with local ordinance and in accordance with these listed guidelines.