8 rules for unincorporated Alpine County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Outdoor and recreational fires in Alpine County are regulated by County Code Chapter 8.16 (Outdoor Burning and Fire Control). From April 15 to December 1 an open fire generally requires a State Fire Warden / CAL FIRE permit, though fires in dooryard premises and established campsites are exempt. During fire restrictions, supervised approved outdoor cooking devices stay allowed.
Alpine County is entirely unincorporated, high-elevation Sierra forest with severe wildfire history. The county has not adopted any ordinance permitting 'safe and sane' fireworks, so under California's State Fireworks Law fireworks are effectively prohibited countywide. The county code only references the State Fireworks Law (Health & Safety Code 12500 et seq.) and bans fireworks manufacturing in its industrial zone.
Alpine County Code Chapter 8.20 declares accumulated fuels a public nuisance and requires owners with structures to maintain defensible space per California Public Resources Code 4291. Fuels reduction is due by May 1 (below 6,200 ft) or June 1 (above), and an adjacent-lot provision lets the county require fuel reduction on neighboring parcels within 100 feet of a structure.
Open burning in unincorporated Alpine County requires a permit from the State Fire Warden (CAL FIRE) from April 15 to December 1 under County Code Chapter 8.16, and is separately regulated by the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, which limits burning to permissive 'burn days' under a valid burn permit. During declared fire restrictions, open burning is banned outright.
Nearly all of unincorporated Alpine County is State Responsibility Area (SRA) classified as High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. County Code Chapter 15.12 adopts the PRC 4290 State Responsibility Area Fire Safe Regulations (with a local emergency-water amendment), and Chapter 8.20 ties fuels-reduction duties to High/Very High FHSZ designations. The 2021 Tamarack Fire burned ~68,600 acres and evacuated Markleeville.
Alpine County does not have its own smoke-alarm ordinance. Instead, County Code Chapter 15.04 adopts the 2022 California Building Standards Code by reference — including the California Building, Residential and Fire Codes — which set smoke-alarm and carbon-monoxide-alarm requirements for dwellings. California state law (Health & Safety Code 13113.7/13113.8 and 17926) independently requires smoke and CO alarms in residences.
Backyard recreational fires in Alpine County fall under County Code Chapter 8.16. An open-fire permit from CAL FIRE is generally required April 15–December 1, but fires within the dooryard premises of a residence are exempt. Fires must always be attended and fully extinguished, and during a declared fire restriction open fires are banned except supervised approved cooking devices.
Alpine County regulates propane primarily through the California Fire Code, adopted by reference in County Code Chapter 15.04. The county also added a high-elevation amendment requiring that roofs above 6,200 feet be designed so snow and ice shedding will not occur onto LPG storage tanks. Defensible space and clearance rules under PRC 4291 and Chapter 8.20 also apply around propane tanks.
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