8 rules for unincorporated Nevada County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard recreational fires (fire pits, chimineas, campfires) follow the California Fire Code and CAL FIRE rules. A recreational fire pile must be 3 feet or less across and 2 feet or less high, kept at least 25 feet from structures, and constantly attended with water on hand. A CAL FIRE permit is generally required in fire season.
Nevada County Code Sec. 14.05.210 (adding California Fire Code Sec. 308.1.9)
Outdoor open flame appliances, including permanently installed outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, BBQs, pizza ovens and any other open flame outdoor device that is connected to a residential or commercial gas line service shall be installed in accordance with the following. The appliance shall produce a maximum flame height of two (2') feet (610 mm).
All fireworks are banned throughout unincorporated Nevada County, including state-approved "Safe and Sane" types. Nevada County is a non-permissive jurisdiction because of extreme wildfire risk in the Sierra foothills. Possessing, transporting, or using fireworks is illegal, and people who start a fire can be held financially and criminally liable.
Nevada County Code Sec. 11.01.150 - Prohibition of Fireworks
Every person, firm or corporation is prohibited from using, discharging or possessing any fireworks as same is defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 12511 within the unincorporated territory of the County of Nevada. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section shall not apply to any person, firm, or corporation engaged in using, discharging or possessing said fireworks under the direction, g...
Property owners in unincorporated Nevada County must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures under California PRC 4291, and the county's Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Material Abatement Ordinance (Code Article 7, Sec. G-IV 7.1 et seq.) extends those duties to adjacent parcels and roadways. Vegetation must be cleared 10 feet beyond road shoulders to a 15-foot vertical height.
Nevada County Code Sec. 4.01.040 - Nuisance Declared; Duty to Abate Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Material
Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Materials within one hundred (100') feet of a structure (or greater as determined by the Public Official) or along roadways that serve as primary ingress and egress routes, are hereby declared to be a public nuisance that may be abated in accordance with this Chapter, and by any other means available by law.
Open burning of dry vegetation in unincorporated Nevada County is allowed only on declared "permissive burn days" set by the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District (NSAQMD) and requires a CAL FIRE residential burn permit (required from May 1 each year). Only dry vegetation grown on the property may be burned; trash, treated wood, and burn barrels are illegal.
Nevada County Code Sec. 14.05.130 - Open Burning
Prior to commencement of open burning, the resident must ensure that it is a permissive burn day. Open burning shall not be conducted within fifty (50) feet (fifteen and twenty-five one-hundredths (15.25) meters) of any structure.
Most of unincorporated Nevada County is mapped as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone by CAL FIRE and the State Fire Marshal under Government Code 51178. Unincorporated lands fall mainly in CAL FIRE's State Responsibility Area, triggering PRC 4291 defensible space, the county's hazardous-vegetation ordinance, and California Building Code Chapter 7A construction standards.
Nevada County Code Sec. 12.04.218 - Wildland Fire Hazard Areas
Wildland Fire Hazard Areas means those areas within the unincorporated area of Nevada County that are mapped on the CALFIRE "Fire Hazard Severity Zone" maps which are rated for wildland fire potential. Unless otherwise exempted by this Chapter, all discretionary and Administrative Development Permit projects within a high or very high fire hazard zone shall comply with the following standards.
Smoke alarm requirements in unincorporated Nevada County come from California state law (Health & Safety Code 13113.7) and the California Building/Residential Code, not a separate county ordinance. Alarms are required inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every story of a dwelling. Carbon monoxide alarms are also required under HSC 17926.
Backyard fires in unincorporated Nevada County fall into two regulated buckets: open burning of yard debris (allowed only on NSAQMD permissive burn days, with a CAL FIRE permit) and small recreational fires (California Fire Code Section 307). Recreational fires must be 3 feet or less across, 25 feet from structures, and constantly attended. All fireworks are banned.
Nevada County Code Sec. 14.05.090 - Permits for Burning Operations
Residential open burning, consisting of burning materials originating from one (1) or more single or multiple family dwellings on a premises including incinerator use, is allowed subject to the provisions of this Code as adopted by the County of Nevada. Notwithstanding the foregoing, there shall be no open burning, and no permits may be issued for burning, on days or at times determined to be u...
Residential propane (LP-gas) storage in unincorporated Nevada County follows the California Fire Code (Chapter 61) and NFPA 58, not a separate county ordinance. Containers over 125 gallons (water capacity) must be at least 10 feet from buildings and adjoining-property lot lines; very small containers can be placed without that separation if installed per code requirements.
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