Can I Use My Fireplace During a Burn Ban in Tarrant or Dallas County?
Yes, you can usually use an indoor fireplace during a burn ban in Tarrant or Dallas County, because county burn bans cover outdoor burning and a fireplace inside your house is not outdoor burning. Outdoor fire pits, chimineas and outdoor fireplaces are a different story. Check the order in effect and your city’s rules before you use them, and check whether a ban is active on the Texas A&M Forest Service burn ban map.
What a County Burn Ban Covers
In Texas, counties set burn bans when drought makes wildfires likely. Both big DFW counties describe them as outdoor bans:
- Tarrant County: The Tarrant County Fire Marshal describes the order as a ban on outdoor burning, set by the commissioners court for 90 days at a time, with no open flames, sparks or embers allowed outdoors while it is in effect.
- Dallas County: The Dallas County Fire Marshal describes a burn ban as prohibiting outdoor burning or open flame during drought or extreme weather.
Neither page mentions indoor fireplaces. The bans are aimed at fires outside, where sparks can reach dry grass.
Indoor Fireplaces vs. Outdoor Fire Pits and Chimineas
| Fire | During a county burn ban |
|---|---|
| Indoor wood fireplace | Not outdoor burning. Generally fine to use. |
| Indoor gas fireplace or gas logs | Not outdoor burning. Generally fine to use. |
| Indoor wood stove | Not outdoor burning. Generally fine to use. |
| Outdoor fireplace on a patio | Outdoor burning. Check the order before using it. |
| Wood fire pit, chiminea or campfire | Outdoor burning. Check the order and your city’s rules. |
| Propane or gas fire pit | Often treated differently from wood fires. Check with your local fire department. |
| Burning leaves or brush | Not allowed during a ban. |
Tarrant County has published separate guidance on outdoor cooking during bans, and cities can have their own rules that are stricter than the county’s. If you live inside city limits, call your city’s fire marshal when in doubt.
Drought Burn Bans vs. Air Quality Burn Bans
If you search this question, you will find answers that say indoor fireplaces are banned. Those usually come from states like Washington and Colorado, where agencies issue air quality burn bans that do cover a wood stove or fireplace inside the home.
The burn bans issued in Tarrant and Dallas County are different. They are drought orders about wildfire risk and fire danger outdoors, set when weather conditions dry out grass and brush. They target open burning, recreational fires and burning yard debris, not the fireplace in your living room. When in doubt, check with your local fire department.
How to Check If There Is a Burn Ban Right Now
- Texas A&M Forest Service: the statewide burn ban map shows every county with a ban in effect.
- Tarrant County Fire Marshal: the outdoor burning page lists the current status. The most recent ban started in August 2026 and was lifted on October 13, 2026.
- Dallas County Fire Marshal: the outdoor burning page.
Bans come and go with the rain, so check again before any outdoor fire. In Tarrant County, breaking the order is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.
Using Your Fireplace Safely in Dry Weather
Dry, windy weather is when a chimney in bad shape becomes a fire risk outside the house, not just inside it. The danger is embers leaving the top of the chimney and landing on the roof or in dry grass.
- Use a chimney cap with spark-arrestor mesh. It keeps embers inside the flue. A missing or rusted cap is worth fixing before winter; see chimney cap installation.
- Keep the chimney clean. Creosote buildup is what burns in a chimney fire, and a chimney fire throws sparks out the top. A yearly inspection, as the NFPA 211 standard recommends, catches buildup early.
- Burn dry, seasoned wood. Wet wood smokes, builds creosote faster and sends more sparks up the flue.
- Never leave a fire burning when you go to bed or leave the house.
- Dispose of ashes in a metal can with a lid, outside and away from the house. Hot ashes dumped in the yard can start a grass fire days later.
Get Your Fireplace Checked Before Winter
If your fireplace has not been cleaned or inspected in the last year, now is the time. Ember’s Chimney Safety Package is $149 and includes a sweep, a top-to-bottom safety inspection and a photo report. We also do fireplace cleaning for gas and wood-burning fireplaces. For a full checklist, read how to get your fireplace ready for the first cold front.
Call Ember Chimney & Fireplace or send the form, and a real person calls you back within 10 minutes.
