6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Yolo County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02 adopts the California Fire Code by reference, including Section 307 governing open burning and recreational fires. Under California Fire Code Section 307.4.2, a recreational fire (fuel pile no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high) must be located at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material; portable outdoor fireplaces must be at least 15 feet away under Section 307.4.3. The fire code official may order any open flame extinguished when it becomes a hazard.
Yolo County Code Sec. 7-1.02 (adoption) and Sec. 7-1.11 (amendments); California Fire Code Sec. 307.4.2 and 307.4.3 (recreational fires)
Section 7-1.11 contains amendments to the California Fire Code, with the California Fire Code being amended by the changes, additions, and deletions set forth in that chapter. The amendments include modifications to the applicability and conflict resolution sections, specifying that where conflicts occur between the fire code and referenced codes, the provisions of Yolo County's code shall appl...
Yolo County Code Title 4 Chapter 2 (Sections 4-2.101 et seq., originally added by Ord. 1261 effective May 17, 2001 and amended by the Board of Supervisors in June 2025) prohibits the sale, possession, use, or discharge of all 'dangerous' fireworks throughout the unincorporated County. The 2025 amendment also bans 'safe and sane' (California State Fire Marshal-classified) fireworks in any area mapped by Cal Fire as a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and raises the administrative fine for a first violation from $100 to $1,000 per firework.
Yolo County Code Title 4 Chapter 2 (Sec. 4-2.101 et seq.); Yolo County Board of Supervisors Ordinance Amendment (adopted June 3, 2025)
All dangerous fireworks have been banned by ordinance throughout rural Yolo County since 2001. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved amendments to the county's illegal fireworks ordinance for the first time in nearly 25 years, increasing the first-time violation fine from $100 to $1,000 per firework violation in unincorporated parts of the county. The ordinance also bans 'safe and sane'...
Property owners in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) of Yolo County (largely the western foothills around Capay Valley, Esparto, Rumsey, Brooks, Guinda, and the hills above Winters) must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around any structure under California Public Resources Code Section 4291. The space is split into Zone 0 (0-5 ft, ember-resistant), Zone 1 (5-30 ft, lean and clean), and Zone 2 (30-100 ft, reduced fuel). Cal Fire and the local fire protection district inspect for compliance.
Open burning in unincorporated Yolo County requires three separate authorizations: (1) a permissive burn day declared by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), (2) a valid burn permit issued by the local fire protection district (and, for SRA areas, by Cal Fire under PRC Section 4423), and (3) compliance with the open-burning controls in the California Fire Code adopted by Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02. Only dry vegetative material grown on the property may be burned; burn windows are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no smoldering past 5 p.m.
Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District - Rural Yard Burning (Regulation II); Yolo County Code Sec. 7-1.02 (adopting California Fire Code)
Rural yard burning is the open burning of vegetative material (dry weeds, plant prunings, shrubbery, tree trimmings and branches) from around a residential property not located in an incorporated city. Rural yard burning is permitted in Yolo-Solano AQMD only on District approved burn days and only when authorized by a resident's local fire district. Fires may not start before 9 a.m. and smolder...
A backyard wood fire in unincorporated Yolo County must comply with the California Fire Code Section 307.4.2 recreational-fire rules adopted by Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02, with YSAQMD's burn-day and prohibited-material rules if any vegetative debris is included, and with any Cal Fire burn-permit suspension covering the State Responsibility Area. Wood pile is limited to 3 ft x 2 ft, 25 ft from structures and combustibles, attended by a competent adult with an extinguishing method on hand.
Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District - Open Burning Rules (Regulation II)
Only dry, vegetative material may be burned - including tree prunings, leaves, weeds, crop stubble, and ditch banks. Trash, lumber, plywood, treated wood, plastic, pallets, furniture, and construction materials may NOT be burned. All burning must occur on designated burn days. Ignition must happen during authorized burn hours. Fire may not smolder or burn later than sundown. Burning may not cau...
1 cities in Yolo County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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