8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Shasta County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Open outdoor fires used only for cooking or recreation (such as a backyard fire pit) are exempt from Shasta County AQMD's open-burning permit and permissive-burn-day rules under Rule 2:6 and Health & Safety Code 41704. Even so, fire pits remain subject to CAL FIRE/Shasta County Fire restrictions, which can prohibit any open flame during high fire danger or burn suspensions.
All fireworks, including 'safe and sane' and sparklers, are illegal to possess, sell, or discharge in unincorporated Shasta County without a fire warden permit. Shasta County Code Chapter 8.12 makes a violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine and/or county jail time, and anyone who starts a fire can be billed for suppression costs.
Shasta County Code Chapter 8.10 (Ordinance SCC 2025-03) requires defensible space and hazardous-vegetation clearance on 'urban parcels' in the unincorporated county. Owners must maintain space up to 30 feet from the property line (up to 100 feet if needed), keep grass to 4 inches and stumps to 8 inches, and treat small lots entirely - consistent with state PRC 4291.
Open outdoor burning of vegetation and residential landscape debris in unincorporated Shasta County requires a valid burn permit and is allowed only on permissive burn days, within set hours that depend on elevation. Burning trash, plastic, tires, treated wood and most manufactured materials is prohibited, and burn barrels are banned except in very low-density areas.
Most of unincorporated Shasta County is mapped as Moderate, High, or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and lies in State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE handles wildfire protection. These CAL FIRE/State Fire Marshal designations (Government Code 51178) drive defensible-space and building requirements. The 2018 Carr Fire, 2020 Zogg Fire, and 2021 Fawn Fire underscore the extreme risk.
Shasta County does not have its own smoke-alarm ordinance; requirements come from California law. Health & Safety Code 13113.7 mandates smoke alarms in dwellings, and Section 17926 (the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act) requires carbon monoxide alarms in homes with fossil-fuel appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages. The county Building Division enforces these through the California Residential Code.
Backyard fires for cooking or recreation are allowed in unincorporated Shasta County and are exempt from AQMD open-burning permits under Rule 2:6 and Health & Safety Code 41704. Burning yard debris or trash, however, is regulated open burning requiring a permit and a permissive burn day, and CAL FIRE/Shasta County Fire can restrict all open flame during high fire danger.
Unincorporated Shasta County has no propane-specific permit ordinance, but its defensible-space code (Chapter 8.10) requires utility generators and petroleum-product storage - explicitly including liquid propane - to keep a maintained firebreak of at least 10 feet in all directions. Tank installation and setbacks are otherwise governed by the California Fire Code adopted by the county.
1 cities in Shasta County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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