What Ohio’s Fall Restriction Actually Says
Ohio Revised Code 1503.18, enforced by the ODNR Division of Forestry, prohibits open-air fires for burning wood, brush, or rubbish between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October, and November, outside municipal limits. The reasoning is dry leaves, dead grass, and afternoon wind; the state’s wildfire risk peaks in these months, and daytime volunteer fire departments are thin. The statute doesn’t carve out a cooking-or-warmth exception in its text, and the Division of Forestry’s public guidance says the restriction covers yard waste, trash, and debris even in a burn barrel. Separately, the statute requires that any fire be attended until it’s extinguished or safely covered, and that flammable material be cleared to a safe distance around it.
The practical reading for a short-term rental in unincorporated Hocking County: the fire pit is an evening amenity in October and November. Guests want it after dark anyway. Put the 6 p.m. line in the guidebook and on the sign at the pit, and you’ve aligned your rules with the state’s. If your property sits inside a village or city limit, local fire codes govern instead; ask your fire department.
What the Ohio EPA Adds
The Ohio EPA’s open-burning rules (OAC 3745-19) treat recreational fires differently from debris burning. In unrestricted areas, a fire for cooking, warmth, or recreation is permitted without EPA notification provided it’s fueled with clean seasoned firewood (or an equivalent clean fuel), it isn’t used for waste disposal, and it’s kept to three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height. That size limit is a useful number to print on the sign: it describes a normal fire pit fire and rules out the bonfire-of-pallets a group might otherwise build. Materials that can never be burned anywhere in Ohio include trash, plastics, rubber, treated or painted wood, and food waste.
The sign at the pit, in six lines: Fires in the pit only. Evenings only in October and November (after 6 p.m. — Ohio law). Clean firewood only — no trash, leaves, or treated wood. Keep it under 3 ft across and 2 ft high. Never leave it unattended. Fully out before you go inside — water, stir, water.
Your Liability, Plainly
If a guest’s fire escapes the pit and burns the deck, the neighbor’s woods, or a guest, the questions that get asked are: was the pit reasonably safe, were the rules clear, and did the host provide what was needed to follow them. That means a proper pit or ring on a non-combustible base, a cleared radius around it, a hose or a bucket and a shovel within reach, rules posted and in the guidebook, and firewood that isn’t green. It also means your insurance covers it; a standard homeowner’s policy generally does not cover short-term rental use, and a fire claim is exactly where that gap shows up. Short-term rental insurance is the deeper read.
The October Setup
Clear the radius
Rake leaves ten feet back from the pit every turnover in October. Dry leaves are the fuel the state law is worried about, and they accumulate daily.
Non-combustible base
A metal ring or stone pit on gravel, pavers, or bare earth. Never on the deck, never on grass in a dry spell.
Extinguishing kit
A bucket, a shovel, and a hose that reaches. A fire extinguisher inside the door. Guests won’t go looking; put it next to the pit.
Seasoned firewood, supplied or sourced
Green wood smokes and frustrates guests into building a bigger fire. Stock seasoned hardwood or point guests to delivery; Hocking Hills Firewood delivers to cabins and their burn-ban explainer is written for guests.
When to Close the Pit
Red-flag conditions — a dry spell plus wind, a county-level burn ban layered on top of the state restriction, a drought advisory — are the times to text guests that the pit is closed for the night. Put the possibility in the house rules (“fire pit use may be suspended during high fire-danger conditions”) so it isn’t a surprise, and offer the indoor fireplace as the alternative. A guest who understands why will respect it; a guest who finds out from a sign at check-in will not.
Fireplaces Count Too
Indoor wood-burning fireplaces and stoves aren’t covered by the outdoor restriction, but a month of nightly fires by guests who don’t know how to build them means creosote. Schedule a chimney sweep after peak season, keep the damper instructions simple and posted, and provide a metal ash bucket with a lid — ashes in a plastic trash bag on the porch is a fire that starts at 3 a.m. Emergency access and safety covers detectors and the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can guests have a campfire at my Hocking Hills rental in October?
In the evening, yes. Ohio's ORC 1503.18 restricts open burning of wood, brush, or debris from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October and November in unincorporated areas. Make the fire pit an after-6 p.m. amenity, require clean seasoned firewood only, and post your rules at the pit.
How big can a recreational fire be in Ohio?
Under the Ohio EPA's open-burning rules, a fire for cooking, warmth, or recreation should be no more than three feet in diameter and two feet high, fueled with clean seasoned firewood, and not used for waste disposal. Trash, plastics, rubber, treated wood, and food waste can never be burned.
Does my homeowner's insurance cover a guest's fire pit accident?
Usually not — standard homeowner's policies typically exclude short-term rental use. Carry a policy written for short-term rentals, keep the pit on a non-combustible base with a cleared radius and an extinguishing kit, and post the rules so the reasonable-care questions have good answers.
Cover the Rest of the Property
Detectors, emergency access, and the safety checklist for a rural rental.
Read emergency access and safety →