Maine Burn Permits: When You Need One, How to Get One, and Fire Pit Rules
Updated
Burning brush or lighting a backyard fire? Maine's open burning law (12 M.R.S. §9324-9325) and the DEP open burning rule apply in every town, and towns can be stricter. Here's what the state requires, how to get a free permit, and what the 23 towns we cover add.
When you need a burn permit in Maine
You need a burn permit from your town forest fire warden or the Maine Forest Service for:
- Burning leaves, brush, deadwood and tree cuttings from normal upkeep of your own property.
- A recreational campfire when the ground isn't covered by snow.
- Any recreational fire larger than 3 ft across and 3 ft high.
You don't need a permit for a campfire on snow-covered ground or a frozen pond, up to 3 ft wide and 3 ft high, or for residential outdoor grills and fireplaces used for things like cooking, up to 3 ft by 3 ft.
Towns can be stricter, and some ban brush burning entirely, as South Portland does.
How to get a burn permit
You have two options, and both are free:
- Online from the Maine Forest Service. Online permits have been free since October 2021, and you can request them from 9am to midnight.
- From your town forest fire warden, who can write you a permit for free.
Permits depend on conditions, so check the Maine Forest Service's daily wildfire danger report first. Local practice varies: Camden and Rockport issue permits online only, Bar Harbor requires a call to the fire station before every burn, and at least 6 towns we cover limit burning or permits to Class 1 or 2 fire-danger days. You can be sued if your fire damages someone else's property.
What you can't burn (including in a burn barrel)
Maine bans burning trash, plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, metal, food waste, chemicals, treated wood or other solid waste everywhere in the state. Only clean wood waste and the wood part of construction debris may be burned. That ban applies no matter what you burn it in, so a burn barrel doesn't make burning household trash legal.
Older ordinances in Bar Harbor and Cumberland still list trash or household paper as burnable in some cases; the state ban applies regardless.
Campfires, fire pits and grills
State law exempts residential outdoor grills and fireplaces up to 3 ft by 3 ft used for things like cooking, but requires a permit for a campfire on bare ground. Whether a backyard fire pit counts as a "fireplace" is a gray area, so ask your local warden.
Many towns set their own fire pit rules:
- Portland: no city permit for a manufactured fire pit, chiminea or fixed outdoor fireplace if it's 15 ft from structures, combustibles and property lines. Campfires need a permit.
- South Portland: an annual Fire Department permit for a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, and a daily permit for a campfire.
Red flag warnings and burn bans
Under state law, no open burning is allowed, campfires included, in an area under a red flag warning. Otherwise, whether you can burn on a given day depends on fire danger: check the Maine Forest Service's daily wildfire danger report and your town's fire department.
Towns can also stop burning locally: in Cumberland and Yarmouth the fire chief can ban all outdoor burning during serious fire danger, and in Bar Harbor, "Administrative ban issued by the Town Fire Warden" on the state website means no burning that day.
Burn rules in the towns we cover
Click a town for the full rules, contacts and ordinance text.
- Bar Harbor: Permit for brush burning and for campfires, including metal fire pits, plus a call to the fire station (207-288-5554) before lighting.
- Brunswick: No local brush or fire pit rules found; follow state rules and check with the fire department.
- Camden: Same-day state permit, online only, on Class I and II days with winds under 10 mph.
- Cape Elizabeth: Fires need Fire Chief permission or state-law allowance; only leaves or brush, with a permit.
- Cumberland: State permit rules apply; the Fire/EMS Chief can ban all outdoor burning in serious fire danger.
- Freeport: No local rules found; check with Freeport Fire Rescue and get a state permit.
- Gorham: No local ordinance; permits through the fire department or the state online system.
- Harpswell: No local rules; state online permit or local fire warden.
- Kennebunk: Permit from the fire department or Maine Forest Service, Class 1 or 2 days only; weekday burning 5 PM to 9 AM.
- Kennebunkport: No local brush or fire pit rules found; state rules apply.
- Kittery: No local backyard rules; state online permit or local fire warden.
- Mount Desert: State rules apply; the fire department recommends fire pits at least 30 ft from combustible structures.
- North Yarmouth: No local ordinance; state online permit or town forest fire warden.
- Ogunquit: No local ordinance; state online permit or local fire warden.
- Portland: Campfires need a permit; manufactured fire pits and outdoor fireplaces don't, if 15 ft from structures and property lines.
- Rockport: Permit to burn wood or leaves, online only via the free Maine Open Burn Permit service; fire pits on Class 1 and 2 days only.
- Scarborough: No local rules found; Scarborough Fire-Rescue handles permits through the state system.
- South Portland: Brush burning banned citywide; fire pits need an annual permit, campfires a daily one.
- Topsham: Free permit for any outside burning (fire department guidance); none on Class 3-5 days or during a ban.
- Wells: Online permit for all outdoor burning; Class 1 and 2 days, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Windham: Permit for all open burning; small recreational fires need no town permit, though state law may still require one.
- Yarmouth: Fire Chief permit before burning anything; wood waste only.
- York: State rules apply; York Beach Fire Department permits after 9 AM, none on Class 3+ days.
Common questions
- Do I need a burn permit in Maine?
- Yes, to burn leaves, brush or deadwood from your property, for a campfire when the ground isn't snow-covered, and for any recreational fire over 3 ft by 3 ft. Small residential grills and cooking fireplaces don't need one.
- How do I get a burn permit in Maine?
- Request a free permit online from the Maine Forest Service between 9am and midnight, or get a free permit from your town forest fire warden. Check the daily fire danger report first.
- Are burn barrels legal in Maine?
- You can't use one to burn trash. Maine bans burning trash, plastic and other solid waste everywhere; only clean wood waste and the wood part of construction debris may be burned.
- Do I need a permit for a fire pit in Maine?
- Possibly. Small residential cooking fireplaces are exempt, but campfires on bare ground need a permit. Whether a fire pit counts is a gray area, and many towns set their own rules.
- Is there a burn ban in Maine today?
- Check the Maine Forest Service's daily wildfire danger report and your town fire department. No open burning is allowed under a red flag warning.