Live fire weather for Illinois

Illinois Campfire Rules and Burn Bans, With Live Fire Weather

Q: What is the campfire rule at Illinois state parks and forests?

Illinois Department of Natural Resources says: “in any area except in camp stoves provided by the Department or in charcoal or other types of metal grills furnished by the visitor at a specific designated campfire site; or”

Q: Are campfires allowed on national forest land in Illinois?

USFS says: “Keep campfires contained in the fire rings provided at each campsite.”

Q: Where are burn bans and fire restrictions posted in Illinois?

USDA Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest is the source this page found, at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/shawnee/alerts. A county or a single forest can order a stricter ban than the state, so also ask the local fire department or ranger district.

Q: What does a red flag warning mean for a campfire in Illinois?

A red flag warning is the National Weather Service saying warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds make a fire spread fast. It is a weather product, not a ban, but many agencies tighten or end campfires when one is out. The live panel on this page shows any warning, fire weather watch or fire warning for the state right now.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources sets the campfire rule for Illinois's state parks and forests. Burn bans and fire restrictions are posted by USDA Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest. Live National Weather Service fire weather alerts for Illinois load on the page.

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Burn bans and restrictions: USDA Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest.

The rule

The campfire rule in Illinois

Campfires in state parks and forests

in any area except in camp stoves provided by the Department or in charcoal or other types of metal grills furnished by the visitor at a specific designated campfire site; or

Illinois Department of Natural Resources, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source

Campfires on national forest and BLM land

Keep campfires contained in the fire rings provided at each campsite.

USFS, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source

Where fire restrictions are posted

The USFS initiates restrictions or temporary public land closures to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect the public.

USFS, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source

Current restrictions: USDA Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest.

Quoted from pages read October 18, 2026. A county, a national forest or a single park can order a stricter ban than the state, so ask the local fire department or ranger district before you light a fire.

Planning a trip

Camping in Illinois

The Illinois camping guide has the months when the weather works, how Illinois Department of Natural Resources books sites, the rule for camping outside a campground and a live weekend forecast for your campsite.

Illinois campfire questions

What is the campfire rule at Illinois state parks and forests?

Are campfires allowed on national forest land in Illinois?

Where are burn bans and fire restrictions posted in Illinois?

What does a red flag warning mean for a campfire in Illinois?

Campfire rules in other states

Fire danger in IllinoisToday’s fire danger and what it means for a campfire Burn permits in IllinoisWhen a permit is needed to burn Firewood permits in IllinoisCutting and moving firewood Park openingsWhen parks and campgrounds open for the season Bear seasonBears at camp and how to store food Tick forecast in IllinoisTick activity for the trail and the campsite Mosquito forecast in IllinoisMosquito activity near water Drought in IllinoisDry conditions that tighten fire rules Air quality in IllinoisWildfire smoke and the air you will breathe

Where this page’s facts come from

State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.

Campfire rules across the country