Is it safe to?Reviewed: 2025-12-27~1 min

Is it safe to burn old mail in a backyard fire pit under city ordinances?

Short answer

⚠️Depends / use caution

It depends—on your city’s open-burning rules, the type of mail, your fire pit’s compliance, and current weather or burn restrictions.

Why people ask this

People want to know if burning old mail is allowed in a backyard fire pit under city ordinances and whether it’s a practical way to protect privacy. They’re trying to stay within local open-burning rules while disposing of paper securely. Many cities draw a line between recreational fires and burning trash, and mail can fall into a gray area. Folks also worry about smoke complaints, fines, and whether plastic windows or glossy coatings make the burn illegal or unsafe.

When it might be safe

When your city explicitly allows small recreational fires and clean, dry paper as kindling in a compliant pit with a spark screen and proper clearance from structures per code
If there’s no burn ban in effect, winds are calm (typically under 10 mph), and you keep the fire small to limit smoke and flying ash
Only burning plain, non-glossy, window-free envelopes or pages after removing plastic, foam, foil, and adhesives
You supervise the fire with a hose or extinguisher ready, use a metal screen to contain embers, and fully stir-drown-cool ash
You keep amounts minimal—treating mail as kindling mixed with seasoned wood rather than the main fuel to avoid nuisance smoke

When it is not safe

Where city or county ordinances prohibit burning paper/trash, or require only clean wood in recreational fires
During burn bans, Red Flag warnings, high winds, or air-quality alerts that restrict outdoor burning
When mail has plastic windows, glossy or foil coatings, adhesives, or ID cards that can create illegal smoke and toxic fumes
In dense neighborhoods, multi-unit housing, or HOA areas with rules against open flames or that trigger nuisance smoke complaints
If you’re disposing of large volumes of mail that could overwhelm the pit, send embers aloft, and violate opacity/smoke limits

Possible risks

Citations, fines, or forced extinguishment for violating city open-burning rules or nuisance smoke ordinances
Fly-away embers causing spot fires in mulch, decks, or roofs, especially without a spark arrestor or screen
Irritant smoke affecting neighbors or household members with asthma or COPD, particularly from inks and coatings
Toxic fumes from burning plastics, adhesives, or glossy finishes common in envelopes and coupons
Incomplete combustion leaving legible fragments that could expose personal information or enable identity theft

Safer alternatives

Use a cross-cut or micro-cut shredder, then dispose per local guidance; repurpose clean shreds as packing, pet bedding, or compost browns (non-glossy only)
Take documents to a certified shredding service or municipal shredding event for secure destruction
Soak-and-pulp method: submerge mail in water with a little dish soap, blend to pulp, then dispose once illegible
Redact with a security roller or permanent marker and then recycle if accepted (avoid glossy/laminated pieces)
Opt in to paperless statements and DMA mail preference services to reduce future mail volume

Bottom line

Check your city’s open-burning ordinance first. If it allows recreational fires and clean paper as kindling, keep amounts small, remove plastics, use a compliant covered fire pit with proper setbacks, and burn only in safe weather. If rules prohibit paper or conditions aren’t ideal, choose shredding or professional destruction instead.