How to Get a Fire Pit Permit in Ferndale

On Oct. 8, Ferndale City Council approved a new open burning ordinance that allows for backyard fires as long as residents get a permit and follow certain guidelines.

Under the new ordinance, residents must apply for a burning permit and pay a one-time $25 fee. Fire pits had previously been illegal in the city.

Ferndale Fire Marshall Brian Batten said Thursday that he has given out seven permits so far and that everyone who has applied for a permit has met the requirements.

How to get a permit

The Ferndale Fire Department is still working out the details of how the permitting process will go in the future, but for now residents are asked to apply at the Ferndale Fire Station on Livernois, Batten said.

Residents will need to provide their name, address and phone number. They can also call in this information to the department at 248-546-2510.

The Fire Department will send out someone to inspect the yard, including measuring the available space to ensure it meets the city's guidelines.

Those who are approved for a permit will then pay the $25 permit fee.

The permit process might change in the future, but an inspection of the property will always be involved. "They'll always be inspected," Batten said.

The permit expires at the end of each year, but residents will only have to pay the fee one time, he said.

The rules

Residents must follow these rules:

1. The patio wood-burning unit or campfire shall not be used to burn refuse.
2. The patio wood-burning unit or campfire shall burn only clean wood.
3. The patio wood-burning unit or campfire shall be located at least 20 feet from the nearest structure which is not on the same property as the patio wood-burning unit and at least 15 feet from the nearest structure on the same property as the patio wood-burning unit.
4. The patio wood-burning unit or campfire shall not cause a nuisance to neighbors.
5. Operational hours for any patio wood-burning unit or campfire shall be limited to the time between 11 a.m. and 1 a.m.
6. All Fires shall be supervised by at least one person who is 18 years of age or older.
7. There shall be at minimum a garden hose connected to a reliable water supply, 1 gallon bucket of water, or a 2a10BC rated fire extinguisher with 20 feet of any open burning.

You can read the full ordinance, as originally proposed, here. The original ordinance amendment proposed an annual $25 fee however council approved a change making it a one-time fee.