8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Placer County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Recreational fires in fire pits, fire bowls, and similar free-standing devices are treated as non-agricultural burning by the Placer County Air Pollution Control District (APCD). Only dry vegetation, firewood, firelogs, and clean, unpainted, untreated lumber may be burned, and fires may not be used for waste disposal.
Placer County APCD Outdoor Burning Requirements; Regulation 3 (Open Burning)
The use of open outdoor fires for recreational purposes or for the cooking of food for human consumption includes campfires and bonfires as well as fires in fire pits and fire bowls and similar free-standing devices. Only dry vegetation, firewood, firelogs and clean, unpainted, untreated lumber can be burned. A recreational or cooking fire cannot be used for waste disposal purposes.
All fireworks are banned in unincorporated Placer County. Placer County Code Section 9.32.100 prohibits using, discharging, or possessing any fireworks as defined in California Health & Safety Code Sections 12505 or 12529, including 'safe-and-sane' types. The only exception is a permitted public display by a State-licensed pyrotechnician.
Placer County Code Article 9.33 (Fireworks Display Permits)
No person shall use, discharge or possess any fireworks, as defined in Section 12505 or 12529 of the State Health and Safety Code, within the unincorporated territory of the county, unless issued a permit pursuant to this article.
Placer County's Hazardous Vegetation and Combustible Material Abatement ordinance (Placer County Code Section 9.32, Part 4) plus California Public Resources Code 4291 require property owners to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures. Owners of unimproved parcels must abate vegetation within 100 feet of a neighboring structure or along essential access roads.
PRC Code § 4291
(1) (A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line, except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall consider the flammability of the structure as affected by building material, building standards, location, and type of vegetation.
Outdoor burning in unincorporated Placer County is governed by the Placer County Air Pollution Control District. Burning is allowed only on permissive burn days in areas that allow it. Non-agricultural burning (land clearing, fire-hazard reduction, etc.) requires an APCD year-round burn permit, and a fire-agency burn permit may also be needed.
CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit Burn Permit Conditions; Placer County APCD Regulation 3 (Open Burning)
All burn piles must have a minimum 10-foot clearance to bare mineral soil in every direction, piles should be no larger than 4 feet in diameter, and you must have a shovel and an adequate water source on hand, with an adult always present during burning.
Much of unincorporated Placer County — the Sierra foothills and Tahoe Basin — is mapped in High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. CAL FIRE maps these zones under Public Resources Code 4201-4204. New construction in designated zones must meet Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) ignition-resistant building codes, and Very High zone owners face the strictest defensible-space and home-hardening requirements.
Public Resources Code 4201
The History of Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps arose from major destructive fires, prompting the recognition of these areas and strategies to reduce wildfire risks. Legislative response led to mandated mapping across California under the California Public Resources Code 4201-4204, encompassing all State Responsibility Areas (SRA).
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements in unincorporated Placer County follow California state law. Smoke alarms are required in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level under Health & Safety Code 13113.8, and CO alarms are required under the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (H&SC 17926) in dwellings with fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage.
Residential backyard burning in unincorporated Placer County is limited to dry vegetation grown on the property and is allowed only on permissive burn days. Lawn clippings, cannabis, oleander, poison oak, garbage, and construction debris may not be burned. An APCD permit is not required for residential burning, but a fire-agency permit usually is.
Placer County APCD Residential Burning Rules; CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit Burn Permit Conditions
All burn piles must have a minimum 10-foot clearance to bare mineral soil in every direction, piles should be no larger than 4 feet in diameter, and you must have a shovel and an adequate water source on hand, with an adult always present during burning. Burn barrels have been prohibited since 2004.
Propane (LP-gas) storage in unincorporated Placer County follows the California Fire Code, Chapter 61, adopted and enforced by the local fire authority. ASME containers under 125 gallons must sit at least 5 feet horizontally from building openings below the discharge level and at least 5 feet from exterior ignition sources, with larger tanks subject to greater setbacks.
3 cities in Placer County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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