Outdoor Burning Rules in Winnebago County, Town by Town
Updated
Short answer
There is no single burning rule for the county. Each city and village sets its own, the county sets one for unincorporated land, and Illinois sets a floor under all of them. Some towns ban nearly everything. Some allow yard waste burning on a few weeks of the year. This guide collects every town's rule from the city, village and county codes and fire department pages, with the source for each. It sits next to our wood stove and insert service page, because the same owners ask about both a chimney and a backyard fire.
Two things are different here. An outdoor fire (a campfire, a bonfire, a leaf pile) is not the same as a fire in a fireplace or stove. And rules change: South Beloit, for example, posts its burn dates each spring and fall. Treat the table as a starting point and call the fire department before you light anything.
The table
| Place | Outdoor burning rule | Fire service |
|---|---|---|
| Rockford | Open burning and leaf burning banned; small attended cooking fire only | Rockford Fire Department |
| Loves Park | Leaf and yard waste burning banned; recreational fires on dry firewood only | Loves Park Fire Department |
| Machesney Park | Leaf burning April and November only; recreational fires out by midnight, 10 ft from structures | Harlem-Roscoe FPD; North Park FPD in parts |
| Roscoe | Yard waste burning any time of year, attended, water on hand | Harlem-Roscoe FPD |
| Rockton | Leaf burning April, October, November; fireplaces expressly allowed (no garbage) | Rockton FPD |
| South Beloit | Yard waste only in posted spring and fall periods (fall 2026: Oct 3 to Nov 15) | South Beloit Fire Department |
| Cherry Valley | Yard refuse only on the last two October and first two November weekends | Cherry Valley FPD |
| Winnebago | Leaf burning weekdays 3:30 to 10 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Win-Bur-Sew FPD |
| Pecatonica | Fire pits up to 4 ft; branches or untreated lumber only, no yard waste | Pecatonica FPD |
| Durand | Leaves and brush in daylight in April, May, October, November; 40-inch fire pits | Winnebago County FPD #1 (Durand) |
| New Milford | Leaf burning April and Oct 20 to Nov 20; recreational fires 25 ft from structures | New Milford FPD |
| Lake Summerset | County Sec. 42-3: leaf burning spring and November weekends only, if no nearby town bans it | Depends on the address (several districts) |
| Westlake Village | County Sec. 42-3: leaf burning spring and November weekends only, if no nearby town bans it | Depends on the address (several districts) |
| Argyle | County Sec. 42-3: leaf burning spring and November weekends only, if no nearby town bans it | Depends on the address (several districts) |
| Unincorporated Winnebago County | County Sec. 42-3: leaf burning spring and November weekends only, if no nearby town bans it | Depends on the address (several districts) |
From each city, village and county code or fire department page; every town page quotes its rule and links the source.
The state floor: Illinois EPA
“Campfires and bonfires are allowed either on private property or in public areas where specified.”
In short, Illinois bans open burning of garbage, allows campfires and bonfires for recreation under 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 237, and lets local ordinances be stricter. The Illinois EPA page does not address indoor fireplaces. What may go in a fireplace is a separate question: see seasoned firewood in Winnebago County.
Town by town
Rockford
Open burning and campfires are not allowed in the City of Rockford, and leaf burning is prohibited. The city's fire code amendment (Sec. 307.1) prohibits open burning except under the city's own burning ordinances, and the Fire Prevention pamphlet treats a small, attended cooking fire as the only recreational fire. Bonfire and prairie burns need a permit from the Fire Prevention Division. Fire service: Rockford Fire Department. Source.
Loves Park
Leaf and yard waste burning is prohibited by the Loves Park Fire Department. The city fire code (Ord. 4682-25) prohibits open burning unless approved, and recreational fires and bonfires may burn only seasoned dry firewood and may not be used to get rid of waste. We could not read the city's size, setback and hours rules for recreational fires online. Fire service: Loves Park Fire Department. Source.
Machesney Park
Leaves, limbs and brush grown on the property may be burned only in April and November, from sunup to 9 p.m., attended. Recreational fires must be in a fire-safe pit or ring, burn only untreated dry wood no more than 22 inches long and 11 inches across, sit at least 10 feet from any structure, be attended by an adult, and be out by midnight (Code Secs. 12-255 and 12-256). Penalties run $50 to $500. Fire service: Harlem-Roscoe FPD; North Park FPD in parts. Source.
Roscoe
The village code enforcement FAQ says yard waste grown on the property may be burned at any time of year if the weather is suitable, the fire is attended at all times and water is on hand. Fire service: Harlem-Roscoe FPD. Source.
Rockton
Village Code Sec. 91.01 allows landscape waste burning in April, October and November, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at least 25 feet from buildings and combustible fences, attended by an adult. It expressly allows burning wood in domestic fireplaces, and for campfires and cooking, as long as no garbage is burned. Fire service: Rockton FPD. Source.
South Beloit
Yard waste grown on the property may be burned only in two posted periods set by the fire department each spring and fall. The fall 2026 period runs October 3 to November 15, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fire service: South Beloit Fire Department. Source.
Cherry Valley
Village Code Sec. 54-3 makes burning yard refuse, garbage or other waste unlawful, except yard refuse on your own property between sunrise and sunset on the last two weekends of October and the first two weekends of November. Fires must be fully out after sunset. Fire service: Cherry Valley FPD. Source.
Winnebago
Leaves and landscape waste may be burned on the property where they fell or grew, weekdays 3:30 to 10 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., never in streets or on public property. Fire service: Win-Bur-Sew FPD. Source.
Pecatonica
The village's short-form burning rules: a fire pit of earth, metal or stone no more than 4 feet across, burning only tree branches with no leaves or untreated lumber in 3 to 4 foot pieces, no yard or garden waste, attended by someone 18 or older with water on hand. The full ordinance is at Village Hall. Fire service: Pecatonica FPD. Source.
Durand
Village Code Sec. 8-17 bans open burning of everything except dry leaves, dry brush and paper, which may be burned in daylight in April, May, October and November, attended. Recreational fires are allowed in a pit or ring no more than 40 inches across (Sec. 8-18). Fire service: Winnebago County FPD #1 (Durand). Source.
New Milford
Village Code Sec. 10-1 allows burning leaves, limbs and brush grown on the property only in April and from October 20 to November 20, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., in an area no more than 4 feet across and at least 25 feet from any structure. Recreational fires must be in a fire-safe vessel or a pit up to 4 feet across, burn untreated dry wood, and stay 25 feet from structures. Fire service: New Milford FPD. Source.
Unincorporated areas, Lake Summerset, Westlake Village and Argyle
These places fall under the county rule summarized in the next section. Seeunincorporated Winnebago County, Lake Summerset, Westlake Village and Argyle.
Things to know about Rockford
Rockford's rule is the strictest in the county. The city's fire FAQ says open burning and campfires are not allowed in the city, and it permits special event bonfires and prairie or ecological burns by permit. The city's leaf burning FAQ says leaf burning is prohibited in Rockford. The fire code amendment prohibits open burning except as the city's own ordinances allow. In our research, the city nuisance ordinance counts outdoor fireplaces as open burning, so a patio fireplace is not a loophole; confirm with the Fire Prevention Division.
We did not state hours or fire sizes for a small cooking fire in Rockford. The city code section that sets them (Sec. 17-6(c)) came to us from a secondary website because the official code page was blocked, and the Fire Prevention pamphlet gives a different time guide. Check the current text on the city's code site or ask the Fire Prevention Division before you rely on any figure. Loves Park's size, setback and hours rules for recreational fires also were not available to us online.
Rockton and the fireplace exemption
Rockton's Code Sec. 91.01 is the one place we found a fireplace named. It expressly allows burning wood in domestic fireplaces, and for campfires and cooking, as long as no garbage is burned. That clears the question for a fireplace in Rockton. For other towns, an indoor fireplace or stove fire is not what the open burning rules were written for, and the Illinois EPA page does not apply them to one. A chimney in good shape is the thing that keeps that fire inside the house; see chimney inspection.
County Sec. 42-3 in brief
Winnebago County Code Sec. 42-3 covers unincorporated areas. Landscape waste burning is banned in unincorporated areas surrounded by, or within a mile of, a city or village that bans it. Elsewhere dry landscape waste may be burned on weekends from April 15 through May 15 and on November weekends, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at least 25 feet from any building, structure or property line. Campfires and recreational fires are allowed but may not include landscape waste. Fines run up to $500. The county code page we read looks stale in places, so confirm the current text on Municode.
Who to call
Fire protection districts do not follow town lines. A Machesney Park address may be served by the Harlem-Roscoe or the North Park district, and the unincorporated county is covered by several. If you are not sure whose rule applies, call the number on the fire department or district page listed under your town. The county's MABAS Division 8 member list names the departments. For a chimney question rather than a burning question, send us the details through the quote form and we reply.
Every chimney sweep price on this site, with its source, is on the chimney sweep cost page.
Sources: Illinois EPA, open burning; City of Rockford, Fire FAQ (open burning); City of Rockford, FAQ: leaf burning; City of Rockford, 2021 International Fire Code amendments (PDF); Rockford Fire Department, outdoor burning pamphlet (PDF); City of Loves Park, FAQ: lawn maintenance (leaf burning); City of Loves Park, Ordinance 4682-25 (Fire Code amendments); Village of Machesney Park, Code Chapter 12, Article VI (open burning); Village of Roscoe, code enforcement FAQ; Village of Rockton, Code Sec. 91.01 (open burning); City of South Beloit, Fire Department; Village of Cherry Valley, Code Sec. 54-3 (burning); Village of Winnebago, burning in the village limits; Village of Pecatonica, Building Permits; Village of Durand, Code Chapter 8 (burning); Village of New Milford, health ordinances (Sec. 10-1); Winnebago County Code of Ordinances (Sec. 42-3, burning); Harlem Township, Winnebago County burning regulations; MABAS Division 8, member agencies
Quick answers
Is it legal to have a campfire in Rockford?
The City of Rockford says open burning and campfires are not allowed in the city. Permits are issued for special event bonfires and prairie or ecological burns by the Fire Prevention Division.
Can I burn leaves in Winnebago County?
Rockford and Loves Park prohibit leaf burning. Other towns allow it in set months, such as April and November in Machesney Park, or the last two October weekends and first two November weekends in Cherry Valley. Check the table for your town.
Are fire pits allowed in Machesney Park?
Recreational fires must be in a fire-safe pit or ring, burn only untreated dry wood, sit at least 10 feet from any structure, have an adult attending and be out by midnight, under Code Secs. 12-255 and 12-256.
Can I use my fireplace in Rockton?
Rockton Code Sec. 91.01 expressly allows burning wood in domestic fireplaces, and for campfires and cooking, as long as no garbage is burned.
What are the burning rules in unincorporated Winnebago County?
County Code Sec. 42-3 allows campfires and recreational fires without landscape waste, and limits landscape waste burning to certain weekends. Fines run up to $500. A nearby town's ban can apply within a mile.
Does Illinois ban open burning?
Illinois EPA bans open burning of garbage, allows campfires and bonfires for recreation under 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 237, and lets local rules be stricter. Its page does not address indoor fireplaces.
Chimney due for a look?
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