Is it summer yet? Despite a little late April snowfall plaguing parts of Massachusetts, most of us have shifted out of the winter mindset and are ready to welcome the nice sunny spring and summer weather.

The nice weather means Massachusetts residents are out in their gardens and yards, getting patios, pools and of course fire pits ready for those long summer days and cool summer night.

However, living in a state that has an many rules and regulations as Massachusetts, homeowners in the Bay State should make sure they know that their backyard firepit or bonfire could be illegal.

While your firepit might seem harmless and was even purchased legally, unless it's primarily used for cooking, all Massachusetts fire pits are subject to open burning regulations imposed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. These regulations include rules about fire size, location, the fires distance from building, and operator age. Typically someone 18 or older must be tending the fire pit at all times.

Regulations due vary county to county, so make sure you check regulations in your area.

In some Massachusetts cities and towns, fire pits (along with any type of open burning) are completely illegal based on the density of neighborhoods. Take Boston for example, where fire pits that use solid fuel such as charcoal, wood pellets or wood are completely illegal. In addition, grills, porch heaters or chimeneas that use solid fuels are also illegal throughout Boston proper. 

So before you host your first fire of the year, make sure you know your town or cities regulations and worst case scenario, have a pack of hot dogs near by, you know, for your cooking fire.