Burn permits and fire pits in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Brush burning is allowed only from January 15 to May 1 with a Fire Department permit, under MassDEP rules. Fire pits and small cooking fires are allowed without a permit if they're used for cooking, kept small, contained and tended by an adult; bonfires need a permit the Fire Department almost never issues.
| Open burning season | January 15 to May 1, with a permit [1] |
| Fire pits | Allowed without a permit if used for cooking and kept small [2] |
| Who must tend a fire pit | Someone over 18 [2] |
| Cooking fire size limit | 3 ft diameter, 2 ft high [5] |
| Bonfires | Need a permit ("we almost never issue them") [4] |
| Never allowed | Trash, pallets, construction debris; leaves; commercial land-clearing brush [3] |
Brush burning
The Nantucket Fire Department's open fire guidelines allow open burning only from January 15 to May 1, with a permit, under MassDEP rules and only for certain materials [1]. Call the Fire Prevention office before you plan a burn.
Fire pits and cooking fires
Fire pits are allowed without a permit as long as they're used for cooking, kept to a reasonable size, located away from combustibles (beach grass, buildings, boats, cars, brush), contained in a non-flammable enclosure and tended by someone over 18. Use only clean, dry firewood and don't let smoke become a nuisance to neighbors [2]. The guidelines adopt the state fire code's definition of a cooking fire: no more than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, in an outdoor fireplace, grill or barbecue pit [5]. The department's rule of thumb is that if you can't sit next to the fire and roast a marshmallow on a 2-foot stick, it's too big.
Beach fires
Small cooking fires on sandy or rocky beaches along tidewater are allowed for adults 18 and older under state law if enclosed in rocks, metal or other nonflammable material [6]. Fires are not allowed on lifeguarded beaches or on any property without the owner's permission [7].
What's not allowed
You can't burn trash, pallets or construction debris, leaves, or brush and trees from commercial land clearing [3]. Bonfires need a permit, which the Fire Department says it almost never issues [4].
About this source
This is a Fire Department guidance sheet, not a bylaw. The first two pages of the PDF are images we couldn't read, so permit fees and application details aren't covered here; ask the Fire Department.
See how Nantucket compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on burn permits & backyard fires →
Next steps
- For brush burning, get a permit from the Nantucket Fire Department (4 Fairgrounds Road; see nantucket-ma.gov for current contact details) and burn only between January 15 and May 1.
- Check MassDEP's allowed-materials list (linked in the Fire Department guidelines) before burning.
- For a fire pit, use a non-flammable enclosure, keep it cooking-sized and away from anything flammable, and have an adult tend it.
Common questions
- Do I need a burn permit in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- For brush burning, yes. It is allowed only from January 15 to May 1 with a Fire Department permit, under MassDEP rules.
- Can I have a backyard fire pit in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- Yes, without a permit if it's used for cooking, kept small, contained and tended by an adult. Bonfires need a permit the Fire Department almost never issues.
- How big can a cooking fire be in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- 3 ft diameter and 2 ft high.
- What can't I burn in Nantucket, Massachusetts?
- Never trash, pallets, construction debris, leaves, or commercial land-clearing brush.
Massachusetts open burning and fire pit rules
State regulations (MassDEP, 310 CMR 7.07) and M.G.L. c. 48, §13 control outdoor burning.
Open burning of brush (where allowed):
- Only January 15 to May 1, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- You need a permit from your local fire department in advance. Fire officials decide each day whether conditions allow burning and can cancel permits.
- Burn at least 75 feet from any dwelling, and only when air quality allows (MassDEP hotline 800-882-1497).
- Allowed: brush, cane, driftwood and residential forestry debris, plus some agricultural materials.
- Not allowed: leaves, grass, hay, stumps, tires, construction debris or household trash.
- Banned at all times in 22 communities, including Belmont, Brookline and Newton. The others are Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Malden, Medford, New Bedford, Somerville, Springfield, Waltham, Watertown, West Springfield and Worcester.
Fire pits and outdoor cooking: cooking fires are allowed year-round everywhere and aren't covered by open-burning limits. They must be a reasonable size, kept away from combustibles, in a non-flammable enclosure, and tended by someone 18 or older. A fire pit used for anything other than cooking falls under the open-burning rules. Towns may further regulate or ban fire pits and chimineas.
Burning illegally, or letting a fire get out of control, can make you liable for firefighting costs, fines or jail time.
What the bylaw says
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, What is allowed (1), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
1.January 15 to May 1 Open burning is allowed with a permit, under Mass DEP rules and only of certain types of material.
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, What is allowed (2), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
2.Fire Pits are allowed without permit but must be used for cooking, kept to a reasonable size, Located away from combus- tibles, contained in a non-flammable enclosure, tended by some- one over the age of 18, Only Clean dry firewood must be used and not create a nuisance for neighbors due to smoke.
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, What is not allowed (1)-(3), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
1.Burning of trash, pallets or construction debris 2.Commercial brush or tree burning from land clearing 3.Leaves
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, What is not allowed (4), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
4.Bonfires without a permit (we almost never issue them)
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, cooking fire definition (citing 527 CMR 1.3.3.72), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
527 CMR 1.3.3.72 Cooking Fire. The noncommercial, residential burning of materials not exceeding 3 ft (0.9 m) in diameter and 2 ft (0.6 m) in height, other than rubbish in which the fuel burned is contained in an outdoor fire- place, a barbecue grill, or a barbecue pit for the purpose of preparing food.
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations (quoting M.G.L. c. 48, §13), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
Chapter 48 section 13 of the Mass general laws states “persons eighteen years of age or older may, without a permit, set, maintain or increase a reasonable fire for the purpose of cooking, upon sandy or gravelly land free from living or dead vegetation or upon sandy or rocky beaches bordering on tidewater, if the fire is enclosed within rocks, metal or other nonflammable material.”
- Open Fire Guidelines & Regulations, What is not allowed (5), Nantucket Fire Department Open Burning Regulations, p. 3
5.Fire on any property without the owner’s permission or Lifeguarded Beaches