8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Kings County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Kings County has adopted the 2019 California Fire Code, which allows recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces with setbacks from structures. Any open fire must be attended and fully extinguished before leaving. On no-burn days, the San Joaquin Valley Air District also restricts outdoor wood-burning devices.
Unincorporated Kings County allows 'safe and sane' fireworks, but only nonprofit organizations may sell them under a county fire department permit. Sales run June 28-July 4 and discharge is allowed only July 1 (9 a.m.) through July 4 (midnight). All 'dangerous' fireworks are banned countywide with escalating administrative fines.
Kings County Code prohibits accumulating dry weeds, brush, and other flammable waste material on property in the unincorporated area when it creates a fire hazard. The county fire chief can order owners to clear the material, and if they fail, the county can abate it and recover the cost as a lien against the property.
Open burning of yard waste and household trash is effectively prohibited in unincorporated Kings County, which sits in the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Kings County Fire no longer issues burn permits; agricultural burn permits come from the air district, and most open agricultural burning has been phased out under state law.
Most of unincorporated Kings County is flat Central Valley agricultural land at low wildfire risk and is a Local Responsibility Area, not the State Responsibility Area covered by CAL FIRE's wildland program. CAL FIRE delivered updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps to the county in March 2025 for review and adoption.
Kings County does not have its own smoke-alarm ordinance; smoke detector rules in the unincorporated area follow California state law (Health & Safety Code Section 13113.7) and the California Building/Fire Code adopted as the Kings County Fire Code. Approved smoke alarms are required in every dwelling, and landlords must keep them operable.
Backyard recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Kings County under the adopted 2019 California Fire Code, but open burning of trash and yard waste is barred by the San Joaquin Valley Air District. Every fire must be attended at all times and fully extinguished before you leave it.
Propane storage in unincorporated Kings County is regulated through the 2019 California Fire Code, which the county adopted as the Kings County Fire Code, plus NFPA 58. Tanks must meet distance requirements from buildings and property lines, may not be stored indoors or below grade, and larger installations require a fire department permit.
1 cities in Kings County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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