If you live in urban Burlington, a wood-burning backyard fire pit, outdoor fireplace or wood-fuel chiminea is generally not permitted. The city classifies those as open-air burning, and open-air burning is prohibited in urban areas.
That does not mean every flame in a backyard is banned. Burlington has separate exceptions for cooking fires and for devices fuelled by propane or natural gas.
A small cooking fire is allowed
The city allows a small, confined fire when it is actually being used to cook food on a grill, barbecue, pit or spit. It has to stay supervised, be sized for the food being cooked and be extinguished immediately after cooking.
That exception is about cooking. It does not turn a wood fire pit into a legal recreational fire once the cooking is finished.
Propane and natural gas are different
Fire tables, fire bowls, chimineas and similar outdoor devices that burn propane or natural gas are permitted by the city because they do not create the same smoke and odour as wood burning.
There are still limits. The city says those devices are not allowed on apartment-building balconies, and condominium rules can prohibit them even where the municipal rule would otherwise allow them.
Rural Burlington has a permit system
Open-air burning is allowed in designated rural areas, but the property needs a burn permit first. The permit is free, and new applications require a site inspection by Burlington Fire.
Fire pits, campfires, chimineas and outdoor fireplaces are all treated as open-air burning in those areas. A permit does not allow garbage, tires, shingles, plastics or other prohibited material to be burned.
The fire department can also suspend burning during dry weather, poor air quality or a fire ban. A permit does not override a citywide ban.
The practical rule
For most urban Burlington backyards, a propane or natural-gas fire table is the straightforward option. A wood fire simply for warmth or atmosphere is not.