Page last updated on:
City lifts recreational fire ban
With recent improvements in fuel moisture levels, the City of Bellingham is lifting the ban on recreational fires within city limits. Lifting of the recreational fire ban will take effect at 5 p.m. Friday, September 11, 2026.
Before lighting any outdoor fire
- Refer to the Whatcom County outdoor burning webpage.
- Check the Northwest Clean Air Agency’s current outdoor burn bans.
- Check the AirNow website for current air quality.
- Read the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Guide to Recreational Fires and Outdoor Fireplaces.
Yard debris and land clearing fires
Washington state law prohibits all yard debris fires and land-clearing fires within the city limits of Bellingham, the Urban Growth Area, and Whatcom County Fire District 8.
Recreational burning
Recreational burning is only allowed when a more restrictive burn ban is not in effect.
Recreational burning includes outdoor fires that
- have a total fuel area of 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height
- are used for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes
- are not contained in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, portable outdoor fireplace, barbeque grill or barbeque pit
- burn only seasoned wood or charcoal.
Laws for recreational fires
- The fire fuel must be seasoned firewood or charcoal only. Burning of garbage, yard debris or construction/demolition lumber and debris is prohibited.
- The fire’s total fuel area must not exceed 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.
- The fire must be attended at all times and fully extinguished before leaving it.
- Fires must be a minimum of 25 feet away from structures or combustible materials.
- Portable outdoor fireplaces must be no closer than 15 feet from structures or combustible materials.
- Permission from the landowner, or owner’s designated representative, must be obtained prior to starting the recreational fire.
- An adequate means of extinguishing the recreational fire must be immediately available. This could include a charged garden hose, one 4-A portable fire extinguisher, or two 5-gallon buckets of water.
