← Connecticut burn ban rules›Current Fire Restrictions
Connecticut Current Fire Restrictions (2026)
Info: Burning brush on residential property in Connecticut requires a valid, signed permit from your municipality's local Open Burning Official. Only brush may be burned: shrubs, vegetation or prunings no more than 3 inches in diameter at the widest point (leaves and grass are not brush), and only on residential property of 1 to 4 dwelling units; burning on property not classified as residential is prohibited, and open burning is not allowed to clear land or to dispose of construction debris, household trash or leaves. Open burning is not allowed when the Air Quality Index is forecast to be 100 or higher anywhere in the state, when the Forest Fire Danger Index is rated High, Very High or Extreme, or where prohibited by an ordinance of the municipality. Burning may only be conducted between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a sunny or partly sunny day with the wind speed between 5 and 15 miles per hour, must never be left unattended, and the pile must be completely extinguished by 5 p.m. Failure to adhere to the conditions of the permit may result in penalties and/or enforcement actions. LawLert cannot retrieve today's Connecticut Forest Fire Danger Index rating, so this entry gives the standing law and not today's level: check DEEP's Forest Fire Danger Report at portal.ct.gov/deep/forestry/forest-fire/forest-fire-danger-report, and your town's Open Burning Official, who issues the permit, before you burn.
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Official source: portal.ct.gov →
“Open burning is limited to the burning of brush only. Brush is defined as shrubs, vegetation or prunings, the diameter of which is not greater than three inches at the widest point. Leaves and grass are not considered brush. ... Burning on property not classified as residential is prohibited. ... burning may only be conducted between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
Read on Oct 28, 2026 from portal.ct.gov. Quoted as published there; the summary above is LawLert’s plain-language reading of it.
Checked against the official source once on Oct 28, 2026. A check re-reads the source and tries to refute the published wording; when it fails, the wording is rewritten from the source and logged in Corrections.
Check the live restriction status: depdata.ct.gov →
General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.
Current Fire Restrictions in states bordering Connecticut
How each neighboring state LawLert has verified classifies the same rule, with its own official source and the date it was last checked. The wording is on that state’s page.
- MassachusettsInfo
Verified Oct 9, 2026 · Source: mass.gov · Full Massachusetts rule →
- New YorkInfo
Verified Nov 13, 2026 · Source: api.nysmesonet.org · Full New York rule →
- Rhode IslandInfo
Verified Oct 9, 2026 · Source: dem.ri.gov · Full Rhode Island rule →
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