Chino Hills, CA Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

Backyard fires in Chino Hills are subject to two overlapping authorities: the Chino Valley Independent Fire District (CVFD), which enforces the California Fire Code, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), which regulates smoke and burning for air quality. The California Fire Code (Section 307) permits a small 'recreational fire' — clean wood or charcoal, with a fuel area no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high — for warmth or cooking, as well as approved portable outdoor fireplaces, generally without a separate burn permit at one- and two-family homes. These fires must be kept a safe distance from combustible structures, attended by an adult, and have a means of extinguishment such as a garden hose or extinguisher nearby. What is not allowed is using a backyard fire to dispose of waste: the South Coast AQMD prohibits outdoor burning of residential waste — trash, leaves, brush and debris — anywhere in its jurisdiction. During winter, mandatory 'Check Before You Burn' no-burn alerts can prohibit any wood burning, indoors or out, on high-pollution days. Critically, the California Fire Code prohibits burning wood and other solid fuels within a fire hazard severity zone, fuel modification zone, or Wildland-Urban Interface area. Because Chino Hills contains hill terrain in and adjacent to Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones — the 2008 Freeway Complex Fire burned through the area — homes in the hillside and Carbon Canyon communities should treat solid-fuel open fires as prohibited and use gas appliances instead.