Fire Regulations in Butte County, CA (2026)
6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Butte County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Backyard ('dooryard') burning at a single- or two-family residence in unincorporated Butte County is permitted only with a CAL FIRE burn permit, on a Permissive Burn Day, during posted burn hours, and only of natural vegetation grown on the property. Pile size and clearance restrictions apply, and burning is suspended entirely during peak wildfire season under PRC Section 4423.
Backyard Burning Limits + Permit, Burn-Day, and Pile Rules
Some RestrictionsButte County Air Quality Management District / CAL FIRE Butte Unit Residential Burning Guidelines
If the homeowner lives on a lot equal to or less than 1 acre, burn piles can only be 4 feet by 4 feet in size. The pile size may not exceed four (4) feet in diameter. All areas within ten (10) feet of the pile must be free and clear of all vegetation and flammable material. A responsible adult must be in attendance of the fire at all times until the fire is dead out. You must have enough water ...
Fireworks
Butte County Code Chapter 38 prohibits the possession, sale, use, or discharge of any fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the county, including state-classified 'safe and sane' fireworks. Only the cities of Oroville, Gridley, and Biggs permit limited 'safe and sane' fireworks sales within their city limits, and even those fireworks may not be carried out of those city boundaries.
All Fireworks Banned in Unincorporated Butte County
Some RestrictionsButte County Sheriff / District Attorney Joint Fireworks Prohibition Notice (June 27, 2024); Butte County Code Ch. 38
Any possession of fireworks, even those designated as Safe and Sane, within the unincorporated portions of Butte County is illegal and strictly prohibited. Only the cities of Oroville, Gridley, and Biggs allow for the sales of Safe and Sane fireworks within their city limits. Any lighting or even possession of any fireworks outside those city limits is illegal and subject to fines upwards of $1...
Brush Clearance
Every owner, tenant or occupant of unincorporated Butte County land must create firebreaks wherever a fire hazard exists, under County Code Section 38A-5. A parcel out of compliance is declared a public nuisance, and each day the condition continues counts as a separate infraction. Fines climb from $100 for a first violation to $500 for each further violation within twelve months, enforced by the Fire Chief and Development Services Code Enforcement.
Butte County Firebreak and Fire Hazard Duty
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 38A-5
(a)Any person that owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains any parcel in the unincorporated area of Butte County shall create firebreaks where a fire hazard exists, to slow or stop the spread of fire....(c)Maintaining a Fire Hazard. Maintaining a parcel that is not in compliance with the requirements set out in this chapter is hereby declared to be unlawful. The continued existence of su...
Outdoor Burning
Effective May 1, the Butte County Fire Department (CAL FIRE Butte Unit) requires a CAL FIRE burn permit for all residential dooryard burning in the unincorporated county. Even with a permit, burning is only allowed on Permissive Burn Days declared by the Butte County Air Quality Management District (BCAQMD), and only specified natural vegetation may be burned. CAL FIRE annually suspends all permits (typically July through October) during peak wildfire season.
Residential Burn Permit Required May 1 - Burn Day Mandatory
Some RestrictionsButte County Air Quality Management District - Outdoor Residential Burning Rules
It is illegal to burn any non-vegetative material, including, but not limited to garbage, paper, cardboard, any dimensional lumber, tires, construction materials, plastic, rubber, paint, bedding or furniture. Burn barrels are illegal. Only natural vegetation grown on the property can be burned. Vegetation must be dry and free of dirt; allow vegetation to dry for at least 15 days if under 6 inch...
Wildfire Zones
Butte County has formally adopted the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map for its Local Responsibility Area, and Section 26-120 goes further than the state's own default: it designates areas the State Fire Marshal did not classify as Moderate or High as Moderate or High anyway. Where a single parcel straddles more than one zone, the entire parcel is held to the requirements of the most restrictive zone touching it.
Butte County Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 26-120
The County of Butte hereby designates the Fire Hazard Severity Zones as recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Government Code section 51178. The County also hereby designates areas not identified as Moderate and High Fire Hazard Severity Zones by the State Fire Marshal, as Moderate and High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, respectively. The map, approve...
Propane Storage
Butte County Code Section 38A-6(a)(5) requires every liquid propane gas storage tank in the unincorporated area to keep a ten-foot firebreak cleared to bare mineral soil, plus an additional ten feet with no flammable vegetation around the tank's exterior. The same clearance applies to small outbuildings under 120 square feet, and urban parcels must extend a similar buffer to power poles and other fuel sources.
Butte County Propane Tank Fire Clearance
Some RestrictionsButte County Code of Ordinances § 38A-6(a)(5)
(5)Outbuildings less than one hundred-twenty (120) square feet in size and liquid propane gas storage tanks shall have a ten (10) foot firebreak or clearance to bare mineral soil and no flammable vegetation for an additional ten (10) feet around their exterior.
Fire Regulations by City in Butte County
1 cities in Butte County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Butte County ordinances
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