Fire Regulations in Santa Rosa, CA (2026)
5 verified fire regulations for Santa Rosa, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Gas-fueled (LPG or natural gas) fire pits are allowed in Santa Rosa with a 10-foot setback from combustible vegetation and overhanging tree limbs. Wood-fueled fire pits are treated as recreational fires under California Fire Code § 307 (adopted at City Code Ch. 18-44): max 3-foot diameter, 25-foot clearance, attendant required.
Gas fire pits OK with clearance; wood fire pits restricted
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa Short-Term Rental Ordinance ORD-2021-011 (Outdoor Burning Requirements)
Outdoor burning at Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals shall be limited to outdoor firepits, fireplaces, barbeques/grills and heaters that generate an open flame through the use of a single five-gallon cylinder of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or are fed by natural gas, and such outdoor burning shall not be located within 10 feet of combustible vegetation and overhanging trees limbs. No other outdoor bu...
Fireworks
Possession, sale, gift, storage, or discharge of any fireworks — including 'Safe and Sane' — is illegal year-round in Santa Rosa under City Code 18-44.5608.2. Citations carry fines up to $1,000 plus possible misdemeanor jail time.
All fireworks illegal in Santa Rosa (Measure F ban)
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 18-44.5608.2 (Limitations on Fireworks)
5608.2 Limitations. Possession, storage, offer or expose for sale, sell at retail, gift or give away, use, explode, discharge, or in any manner dispose of fireworks is prohibited within the limits established by law as the limits of the districts in which such possession, storage, offer or exposure for sale, retail sale, gifting, use, explosion, discharge, or disposal of fireworks is prohibited...
Brush Clearance
Santa Rosa's Hazardous Vegetation and Fuels Management Ordinance (ORD-2023-016, City Code Ch. 9-32) requires defensible space on every property in the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area (about 9,000 parcels), with specific tree-limbing, hazardous-vegetation removal, and a 5-foot ember-resistant zone. Property owners faced a January 1, 2025 compliance deadline and July 1, 2025 mulch deadline.
100-ft defensible space required across the WUI
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code Ch. 9-32 (ORD-2023-016 — Hazardous Vegetation and Fuels Management)
The new ordinance requires property owners to maintain defensible space throughout the entire Wildland Urban Interface Area (WUI), to remove certain fire damaged dead trees, remove specific hazardous vegetation, and to limit specific mulch within 30 feet of structures. Defensible space shall be maintained in accordance with California Code of Regulation, Title 14, Section 1299.3 and Public Reso...
Outdoor Burning
Open burning of trash, debris, garbage, or hazardous waste is unlawful in Santa Rosa. Vegetative debris pile burning is permitted only for WUI parcels of 5+ acres under a Fire Department permit, and pile burn permits are suspended during the declared wildfire season (annually from approximately June 1 to November 1).
Open burning banned; limited pile burn permits in WUI
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Rosa Fire Department — Pile Burning Permit Requirements (City Code Ch. 18-44, ORD-2021)
The parcel must be 5 acres or more in size or approved by the Fire Department on a case-by-case basis. You may only burn clean vegetation (branches, trunks, stumps) from the property associated with this permit. You may not burn solid waste, recyclable materials, household hazardous waste, or other hazardous waste, garbage, debris, or other wastes. All burning must be maintained in 4-foot maxim...
Backyard Fires
Burning trash, leaves, or debris in a backyard burn barrel, pit, or residential fireplace is prohibited in Santa Rosa. Recreational fires must follow the California Fire Code Chapter 3 (adopted at City Code Ch. 18-44), and short-term-rental properties are limited to gas-fueled fire features only.
No backyard debris burning; recreational fires limited
Heavy RestrictionsSanta Rosa Short-Term Rental Ordinance ORD-2021-011 (Outdoor Burning Requirements)
Outdoor burning at Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals shall be limited to outdoor firepits, fireplaces, barbeques/grills and heaters that generate an open flame through the use of a single five-gallon cylinder of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or are fed by natural gas, and such outdoor burning shall not be located within 10 feet of combustible vegetation and overhanging trees limbs. No other outdoor bu...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Santa Rosa city rules.
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