Fire Regulations in San Rafael, CA (2026)
6 verified fire regulations for San Rafael, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
San Rafael's Fire Code bans recreational fires on city property and in Wildland-Urban Interface areas; elsewhere, backyard fires must stay 25 feet from structures with an attendant and extinguisher on hand.
San Rafael Backyard Fire Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 4.08.120 (Fire Code § 307.4.2)
307.4.2.3 Other properties. ... recreational fires shall be conducted in compliance with all of the following: 307.4.2.3.2. Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible materials; ... 307.4.2.3.5. A charged portable fire extinguisher with a minimum capacity of 4-A, or a charged garden hose, shall be available for use at the location of the recreational ...
Fireworks
San Rafael bans the manufacture, storage, sale, possession, handling or use of any fireworks, including state-legal 'safe and sane' fireworks, within city limits, absent a Fire Department operational permit.
San Rafael Fireworks Ban
Heavy RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 4.08.120 (Fire Code § 324.1)
324.1 Fireworks prohibited. Except where an operational permit is issued in accordance with Section 105.5.16 or Section 105.5.44 of the Fire Code, the manufacture, storage, sale, possession, handling, or use of any fireworks as defined in Section 202, is prohibited within jurisdiction limits.
Brush Clearance
San Rafael requires every property with a structure in its Wildland-Urban Interface, and any adjacent parcel, to maintain 100 feet of defensible space under San Rafael Municipal Code § 4.12.030. The fire chief enforces three concentric zones (extended, intermediate and immediate), each with its own crown-raising, spacing, woodpile and roof-clearing standard. Violators face misdemeanor or infraction penalties and nuisance abatement liens.
San Rafael Brush Clearance & Defensible Space Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 4.12.030
A.Any person owning, leasing, controlling, operating or maintaining a property containing a structure in the City of San Rafael, and any person owning, leasing controlling, operating or maintaining a property that is adjacent to another property containing such a structure, shall at all times maintain defensible space within one hundred feet (100′) of the structure as follows:1.Raise the crown ...
Wildfire Zones
San Rafael has its own mapped Wildland-Urban Interface, adopted in 2007 under SRMC §4.12.010, designating a very high fire severity zone under Government Code §51179 that triggered citywide vegetation-management compliance by April 1, 2022.
San Rafael Wildland-Urban Interface Zone
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 4.12.010
This chapter establishes a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) in the city, as described in the City of San Rafael Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) map, dated July 2, 2007, on file with the city clerk, as it may be amended hereafter from time to time by city council resolution, which is a designation of a very high severity zone as provided in Government Code Section 51179, and establishes citywide sp...
Smoke Detectors
San Rafael's Residential Code amendment requires homeowners to test and maintain smoke alarms per manufacturer instructions and replace any hardwired or interconnected alarm with one of matching functionality.
San Rafael Smoke Alarm Upkeep
Some RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 12.255.020 (California Residential Code § R310.7.2)
Amend Section R310.7.2 by adding the following: Smoke alarms shall be tested and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Smoke alarms that no longer function shall be replaced. Replacement of an existing smoke alarm that is hardwired and/or interconnected shall be made with an alarm of the same functionality. Amend Section R902.1.1 to read as follows: R902.1.3 Ro...
Propane Storage
San Rafael bans LP-gas storage citywide except in designated industrial and commercial zoning districts, caps volumes at 1,000 to 1,500 gallons per site, and prohibits residential tanks unless no natural gas line is available.
San Rafael LP-Gas Storage Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsSan Rafael Municipal Code § 4.08.070
A. Pursuant to Section 6104.2 of the California Fire Code, except as provided in Subsection B of this section, the storage of LP-gas is prohibited in all areas of the city. ... C. The storage of any LP-gas tank system in any residential district is prohibited unless there are no natural gas lines available to be connected to the residence.
Looking for Marin County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Rafael city rules.
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