Burn Bans

LawLert has been unable to re-read Rhode Island DEM's wildfire-danger page since September 20, 2026 (the site blocks LawLert's automated reader), and Rhode Island's fall fire-weather season began October 1, 2026 and runs to December 15, 2026 — check dem.ri.gov/ri-wildfire-danger-status or your local fire department before you burn. Every open-air fire in Rhode Island needs a written permit. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 2-12-6 no one may burn flammable material on or next to forest land without a written permit issued under the DEM director's rules, and in practice you get that permit from your local fire department — the statute lets a fire chief authorize a senior officer to issue burning permits, and DEM tells residents to contact their local fire department. Fire departments can refuse a permit when conditions are dangerous, some cities ban open burning outright, and a violation carries a fine of $10 to $100, or 10 to 30 days in jail, or both. Whoever lights a permitted fire must fully extinguish it before leaving. Rhode Island's fire-weather seasons run February 15 to April 30 and October 1 to December 15, and DEM says Red Flag Warnings are usually issued only in those spring and fall windows; no statewide burning directive was posted when DEM's wildfire pages were re-checked on September 20, 2026, and mid-September falls outside both seasons; the fall season has since begun, on October 1, 2026. When the National Weather Service does issue a Red Flag Warning, open campfires may not be allowed on DEM-managed land including state campgrounds, parks and management areas — contact the campground for active restrictions. DEM splits the state into District 1 (Providence, Bristol and Newport counties) and District 2 (Kent and Washington counties). The DEM air regulation on open fires, 250-RICR-120-05-4, is a separate rule that reaches waste facilities and salvage, industrial, commercial or institutional burning, not ordinary residential brush burning.