Bay County Emergency Services, pursuant to Bay County Board of County Commissioners Ordinance Article 4, Section 5-88 (f), requires all bonfires located on incorporated beaches to have a permit. In order to obtain a permit, an application must be submitted and a fee must be paid. The application will be reviewed and a permit will be issued if all safety requirements are met.

If applying for a bonfire permit for a beach area within the jurisdiction of incorporated Bay County please ensure you are in Unincorporated Bay County, otherwise your permit request will be rejected.

To submit an application for a Beach Bonfire Permit, please use our online permit portal, Community Access Portal. To be directed to the Community Fire Prevention Access Portal, click here.

Refund or credit requests must be received prior to the scheduled start time of the event listed on the permit. Requests received after the start time will not be honored.

Conditions of Issuance and Use

• No fires will be allowed within 250 feet of a marked turtle nest, within 50 feet of any vegetation line or within 100 feet of any habitable structure. Any fire must cease immediately upon the discovery of an unmarked sea turtle nest or any other sea turtle activity within the distance limitation proscribed by this section. Any fire located within 400 feet of a marked turtle nest must be screened so as to reduce the fire's visible light to the nest in compliance with any applicable state or federal regulation or the provisions of this Code. Bay County Emergency Services shall be contacted immediately when turtle hatchlings are or become present. All permit holders have a duty to take reasonable measures necessary to protect nearby turtle nests whether marked or not from the potential adverse impact of the fire and associated activities.
• No fire is allowed using organic wood material if wind conditions are greater than ten (10) miles per hour. Fires are strictly prohibited on January 1, July 4, and December 31. 
• No fire is allowed if a burn ban has been issued or if Bay County Emergency Services has determined that the fire will endanger the public health, safety, welfare, or other people or property.
•  All fires must occur between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. The permit holder shall be responsible for the cleaning and removal of all debris and returning the burn site to its natural condition by 12:00 a.m. It shall be unlawful and a violation of this section for a person to fail to clean up after the fire has been extinguished.
• No debris from the fire may be deposited in any public garbage receptacle on the sand beach areas, or in the GULF OF AMERICA.
• All fires must be fueled solely by propane gas or organic wood material via an elevated fire pit not to exceed three (3) feet in diameter. Burning of any material other than organic wood material or propane shall be a violation of this Code.
• The person igniting the bonfire shall be present on site and tend the fire until fire is extinguished and cleanup is complete.
• There can only be one bonfire on each parcel of property, or one for every two hundred (200) feet of sand beach area, rounding up to the nearest hundred, whichever is fewer.
• Bonfires must have safeguards to protect the public and other property from injury including fire control equipment to be used on site. If the bonfire is an organic wood fueled fire, the person igniting the fire must have equipment capable of cooling and disposing of any debris, coals, and ash within the time provided by this subsection. The person igniting the fire shall keep a 2.5-gallon water-based fire extinguisher tagged in compliance with NFPA 10 standard for portable fire extinguishers on site at all times.