Context matters. Burning is usually prohibited in subdivisions or where houses are close together. If everyone is on 5 acre lots then typically nobody cares. OP didn't provide many facts so everyone is just guessing. Where I live we have burn bans in the summer but can burn the rest of the year. There are rules about recreational fires vs. yard debris burning. Trash burning is not allowed and dense black smoke isn't allowed so no burning of any plastic or rubber or anything toxic. In the fall lots of people burn leaves even though that does produce some smoke. I burn a lot of yard debris in the fall but my nearest neighbors are all more than 100 yards away so they only get a whiff of smoke now and then.

We live in a semi-rural community about a 10 minute drive from the city. Recreational firepits are the norm, as are dirt bikes, snowmobiles and other outdoor recreational activities that are disallowed in the nearby urban wasteland. It's why most of us moved here. My home has an indoor fireplace as well as the backyard firepit.

People tend to be grown-ups and respectful of their neighbours. We generally keep the fires in our pit small, for roasting hotdogs or sitting around having a drink on a cool evening. Occasionally someone burns garbage or garden waste in theirs, but a visit from a group of neighbours usually rectifies that.

If you have not seen one of these nearly smokeless trash burners, they are really effective:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3855951A/en

I bought a stainless steel one that fit on top of a 55 gallon barrel about 1982.
It was similar to this:

https://www.elastec.com/products/portable-incinerators/smartash/

I later built a large stainless steel one 72 inches in diameter and 48 inches tall to burn wet wooden mining “props” and other trash using a small Rootes blower that was surplus from a “Froth Cell” coal cleaner.

On this large one we made the top double walled so that the air was pre-heated before it created the internal tornado of fire.

When my father saw the big one running, he said
“I bet that would smokelessly burn a truck tire”
and insisted that we try it once.

To my surprise it did burn the truck tire with nearly no visible smoke,
and the steel cords were a least 50% turned to rust too.

I'm glad to see so many forum members provided feedback. I called the Health Department and they said that since the burning is contained, a resident can burn in their pits. So my only option is to talk to my neighbor and have a civil discussion about the burning. I have attached a link to the Health Departments website: https://jcdh.org/SitePages/Programs...tionProtectionDivision/OpenBurning.aspx. By the way, our air quality is not good: https://www.jccal.org/Default.asp?ID=1071&pg=Air+Quality


I live in a subdivision that is not rural. Our lots average about 1/2 acre. I agree that everyone should be able to enjoy their backyard. But what if a resident's behavior harms their neighbors? As I said in my original post, what about the possibility of the surrounding neighbors having health issues. Should the kids a couple of doors down be able to play in clean air? What if one of them has asthma? What if an older couple wants to sit on their back deck to enjoy the night air? Also, this is a good time of the year to open the windows to let in a little fresh air. Last night I was 5 houses down from my neighbors house when I starting smelling smoke. So the smoke traveled a good distance.

Odd, that no one addressed the last part of my post about health concerns.

And of course my post turns political. "I Know who you are voting for." No you don't. I voted for Trump in 2016. Not this time around. And I will not vote for Biden. The Dems are way to far to the left for me. So this will be the first time in my life that I will not cast a vote for a presidential candidate. For me, there is no lesser of two evils in this election.

Lesson learned: I need to limit my posts to automotive subject matter only.

I'd be willing to bet there are nuisance rules administered by your county or state environmental regulatory agency. Fugitive smoke from a neighboring property is most definitely covered by those nuisance rules.

Alternatively, you're probably better off taking some beers over to his house and having a civil conversation. Who knows, you may even make a new friend who'll keep an eye on your stuff when you're out of town.

Why is it people want others to change their behavior to accommodate them?

Here there's a bylaw against open fire in urban areas that includes fire pits and the only ones you can use are the propane ones. Our neighborhood is also very wooded so it's not just the smoke that's a problem but the risk of spark.

I live in a town of 2000. The subdivision I'm in is all 1 acre lots. EVERYONE has burn pits in their backyard. I've had smoke roll through my yard from neighbors and I'm sure I've rolled smoke through theirs. We pay $15/year for a permit and can burn when we want. I try to watch winds and keep my fire hot enough to minimize smoke but...stuff happens. Many of us have smokers as well.....my neighbor says he loves it when I fire up my Traeger! I would never grumble at my neighbor about smoke from a fire and I've never had a neighbor grumble at me. It's one of things you get living in a small town and I wouldn't give it up for anything!

In fact, go over there with a few beers and dont even talk about the fire pit. In the end, it's trivial. Exersize tolerance. You could become good friends. It's not unlike paying it forward. I'll bet that you'll be rewarded in spades. Maybe end up sitting around the fire pit, upwind, laughing and drinking beers.

I try to keep my yard fires small and unnoticed.

In PA we love grilling outside, building a big campfire and kicking back with an adult beverage, and minding our own business

Well said! Around here if there's a "glow" in your backyard it's kind of an invite. Pack up a cooler and head on over. Pull up a seat, relax and shoot the breeze. I have great neighbors and never have to worry about my place when I'm gone(and my neighbors don't have to worry either) BTW....great fire!!!!(I may get some looks if I built one THAT big!....lol)

If there is anyone with health concerns then it is their concern, not yours, unless of course it's you. If it bothers them then they can deal with it, Why are you concerned with it? Trying to find some way to bolster your argument?

We burn yard debris and cardboard all the time and trust me there is plenty of it here in the woods.

My state is on perpetual fire, so I would never notice

Don't take it (^^^) so seriously. A very good friend of mine is "that guy" you're talking about. (yeah, I would would not do that, but...) BTW, I have a drug dealer cattycorner across the street from me. That house has been raided twice in the past year, and the tenants charged, yet the show goes on (just more subtly). You want to trade neighbors???

Me too. Oh, not the burning, I 'm glad you don't live near me.

That's exactly what Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has been telling the rest of the world.

pittsburghracer, that is quite a resume you have there. I know its none of my damn business, but have you thought about a second job as a Gender Reveal Planner?

I live in one of the outer boroughs of NYC. The houses in my neighborhood sit on mostly 40x100 lots, so backyards are small and decent people try to be considerate of their neighbors as the houses are very close.
If im working late in the garage my wife is always telling me about making to much noise. My neighbor has one of those fire pits which is illegal with in city boundaries. He uses it every so often. Outside I deal with the smoke but. the problem is when I have the windows open the smoke comes right inside the house. You cannot stay in the house its that bad and the place stinks. We dont complain and what I do is shut the windows and put on the AC.
When my wife gets on me for noise to late or to early, I like to remind her about that fire pit next door

Since this evening was our normal Wednesday Mopar "guys night" as I was sitting there watching the fire burn I couldn't help but think about this thread.

At one of the Mopar guys house in South St.Louis County, in a subdivision.

lol, ok Karen