Minnesota Legislature
Office of the Revisor of Statutes
2006 Minnesota Statutes
This is an historical version of this statute chapter. Also view the most recent published version.
88.195 PENALTIES.
Subdivision 1. Failure to extinguish a fire. Any person who starts and fails to control
or extinguish the fire, whether on owned property or on the property of another, before the
fire endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Failure to control a permit fire. Any person who has a burning permit and fails to
keep the permitted fire contained within the area described on the burning permit or who fails
to keep the fire restricted to the materials specifically listed on the burning permit is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Subd. 3. Careless or negligent fires. Any person who carelessly or negligently starts a
fire that endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Subd. 4. Careless or negligent acts. Any person who participates in an act involving
careless or negligent use of motor vehicles, other internal combustion engines, firearms with
tracers or combustible wads, fireworks, smoking materials, electric fences, torches, flares, or other
burning or smoldering substances whereby a fire is started and is not immediately extinguished
before the fire endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty
of a misdemeanor.
Subd. 5. Internal combustion engines. Any person who operates a vehicle in a wildfire area
when the ground is not snow-covered with an open exhaust cutout, without a muffler, without a
catalytic converter if required, or without a spark arrestor on the exhaust pipe; or any person who
operates a tractor, chainsaw, or other internal combustion engine not equipped to prevent fires
is guilty of a misdemeanor.
History: 1993 c 328 s 29
Subdivision 1. Failure to extinguish a fire. Any person who starts and fails to control
or extinguish the fire, whether on owned property or on the property of another, before the
fire endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
Subd. 2. Failure to control a permit fire. Any person who has a burning permit and fails to
keep the permitted fire contained within the area described on the burning permit or who fails
to keep the fire restricted to the materials specifically listed on the burning permit is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Subd. 3. Careless or negligent fires. Any person who carelessly or negligently starts a
fire that endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Subd. 4. Careless or negligent acts. Any person who participates in an act involving
careless or negligent use of motor vehicles, other internal combustion engines, firearms with
tracers or combustible wads, fireworks, smoking materials, electric fences, torches, flares, or other
burning or smoldering substances whereby a fire is started and is not immediately extinguished
before the fire endangers or causes damage to the property of another person or the state is guilty
of a misdemeanor.
Subd. 5. Internal combustion engines. Any person who operates a vehicle in a wildfire area
when the ground is not snow-covered with an open exhaust cutout, without a muffler, without a
catalytic converter if required, or without a spark arrestor on the exhaust pipe; or any person who
operates a tractor, chainsaw, or other internal combustion engine not equipped to prevent fires
is guilty of a misdemeanor.
History: 1993 c 328 s 29
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes