8 rules for unincorporated Mendocino County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Wood-burning recreational fires in unincorporated Mendocino County require a year-round burn permit and a declared permissive burn day. Under California fire rules, a recreational fire is limited to roughly a 3-foot-wide by 2-foot-high fuel area. Propane and natural gas fire features are not subject to the burn-day rules that target wood smoke.
All fireworks - including state-classified safe-and-sane devices - are illegal everywhere in unincorporated Mendocino County. The Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services and CAL FIRE enforce a zero-tolerance policy; only licensed public displays with a permit are allowed. Possessing, selling, transporting, or discharging fireworks is prohibited year-round.
Because most of unincorporated Mendocino County is State Responsibility Area, property owners must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures under California Public Resources Code Section 4291. The clearance is split into an ember-resistant zone (0-5 feet), an intensive fuel-reduction zone (5-30 feet), and a reduced-fuel zone (30-100 feet).
Open outdoor burning in unincorporated Mendocino County is regulated by MCAQMD District Regulation 2 and requires both an air quality permit and a local fire agency permit, and is allowed only on permissive burn days. Only vegetative matter grown on the property may be burned; milled lumber, paper, cardboard, garbage, plastics, and burn barrels are prohibited.
Most of inland unincorporated Mendocino County lies in the State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE maps Fire Hazard Severity Zones (moderate, high, very high). CAL FIRE's 2025 maps classify about 8,402 acres of unincorporated land as very high, much of it near Ukiah and Willits along Highway 101, triggering defensible space and building requirements.
Smoke alarm requirements in unincorporated Mendocino County follow California law. Smoke alarms are required in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each level under Health and Safety Code 13113.7, and a single-family home being sold must have an operable State Fire Marshal-approved alarm under HSC 13113.8. Carbon monoxide alarms are required by HSC 17926.
Backyard debris and waste burning in unincorporated Mendocino County requires both an air quality and a fire agency burn permit and is allowed only on permissive burn days. Only vegetation grown on the property may be burned, burn barrels are banned, and CAL FIRE typically suspends residential burning during fire season.
Propane (LP-gas) storage in unincorporated Mendocino County follows the California Fire Code and NFPA 58. A typical residential tank of 125 to 500 gallons must be kept at least 10 feet from buildings and the adjoining property line, and tank fill, relief, and vent openings must be at least 10 feet from any building opening or ignition source.
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