Fire Regulations in Sonora, CA (2026)
5 verified fire regulations for Sonora, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Fire pits in Sonora are subject to the city's fire code (Municipal Code Chapter 15.12) and general open burning rules. Recreational fires must comply with California Fire Code requirements and are prohibited on no-burn days declared by the Air Pollution Control District.
Sonora Fire Pit Rules
Some RestrictionsFireworks
All fireworks are banned in Sonora under Municipal Code Chapter 8.08. Possession, sale, discharge, and storage of fireworks within city limits is unlawful. Even Safe and Sane fireworks purchased elsewhere cannot be legally used in Sonora or transported into Tuolumne County.
Sonora Fireworks Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBrush Clearance
Sonora's Defensible Space Ordinance, adopted June 3, 2019, requires every property owner to maintain a 30-foot defensible space zone of cleared flammable vegetation around any building, plus a reduced fuel zone from 30 to 100 feet (or to the property line) and a 10-foot buffer along property lines that border a structure or evacuation route. The ordinance is enforced by the Sonora Fire Department at 201 S. Shepherd Street.
Brush Clearance & Defensible Space in Sonora
Heavy RestrictionsOutdoor Burning
Open burning within Sonora is regulated under Municipal Code Chapter 8.32 (Unlawful Open Burning, Ordinance 828). A burn permit is required from the Sonora Fire Department at $60 per year including a site inspection. Burning is only allowed on APCD permissive burn days.
Sonora Unlawful Open Burning Regulations
Heavy RestrictionsWildfire Zones
Sonora lies in the Sierra Nevada foothills within CAL FIRE-designated fire hazard severity zones. Properties must comply with defensible space requirements, WUI building codes for new construction, and Tuolumne County fire hazard regulations for vegetation management.
Sonora Wildfire Hazard Zone Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsCAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal — Fire Hazard Severity Zones (Public Resources Code 4201-4204)
The State Fire Marshal is mandated to classify lands within State Responsibility Areas into Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ). Fire Hazard Severity Zones fall into one of the following classifications: Moderate High Very High The California laws that require Fire Hazard Severity Zones include California Public Resources Code 4201-4204, California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1280 and C...
Looking for Tuolumne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sonora city rules.
Fire Regulations in Tuolumne County →