8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Madera County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Madera County adopts the California Fire Code through county code Title 14, Division II (Fire Prevention), Chapter 14.35. Under California Fire Code Section 307, recreational fires must stay 25 feet from structures and combustibles; portable outdoor fireplaces must stay 15 feet away (with a one- and two-family dwelling exception).
Madera County splits by geography. In the eastern foothills and mountains (east of the Madera Canal, including Oakhurst, Bass Lake and North Fork), CAL FIRE states ALL fireworks, including 'Safe and Sane,' are illegal. A county ordinance imposes steep escalating administrative fines per firework.
In the State Responsibility Area, California Public Resources Code section 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around buildings (or to the property line). Madera County also abates flammable vegetation as a public nuisance under county code Title 7, Chapter 7.26 (Weed Abatement).
Open/outdoor burning in Madera County is regulated by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD), not just the county. Residential yard-waste burning is heavily restricted; foothill/mountain hazard-reduction burning is allowed only in the State Responsibility Area under District Rule 4106 with a permit and on declared burn days.
Madera County's foothills and mountains lie largely in CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area with High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The county adopts Fire Code/fire-zone provisions in Title 14 (Chapter 14.32 Fire Zones), and PRC 4291 defensible space plus WUI building standards apply in these areas.
Madera County follows California law. Health & Safety Code section 13113.7 requires State Fire Marshal-approved smoke alarms in dwellings intended for human occupancy, with rental units operable at each new tenancy and upgrades triggered by permitted alterations over $1,000. Carbon monoxide alarms are required under the CO Poisoning Prevention Act.
Recreational backyard fires follow the California Fire Code adopted in county code Title 14 (25-foot setback). Residential wood burning in fireplaces and wood stoves is separately limited by San Joaquin Valley Air District Rule 4901, including 'Check Before You Burn' no-burn days from November 1 through the end of February.
Madera County adopts the California Fire Code (county code Title 14, Ch. 14.35), whose Chapter 61 governs liquefied petroleum (LP) gas. Storage and equipment must comply with NFPA 58, larger installations need fire-code-official permits, and tanks over 2,000-gallon single or 4,000-gallon aggregate water capacity require construction documents.
1 cities in Madera County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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