El Dorado County, CA Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

Backyard burning in unincorporated El Dorado County is layered over a strict defensible-space regime. The Defensible Space Ordinance (Chapter 8.09 of the El Dorado County Code, last updated by Ordinance 5186, adopted July 16, 2024) requires every Responsible Person to maintain a minimum 100 feet of defensible space adjacent to every Structure on each side, but not beyond the property line, cleared of Hazardous Vegetation or Combustible Material. Subsection 8.09.070(D)(3) authorizes the County to require additional clearance up to 300 feet when an investigating official determines it is necessary to reduce the risk of fire transmission and no other feasible mitigation exists. Subsection 8.09.070(D)(5) includes a 'Good Neighbor' provision: when a structure is less than 100 feet from a property line and hazardous vegetation on an adjacent parcel creates a fire hazard, the adjacent parcel owner is responsible for removing the hazard within 100 feet of the structure. Ingress/egress routes must have a 10-foot horizontal vegetation clearance from road or driveway edge and a 15-foot vertical clearance per Subsection 8.09.070(D)(6). Open burning of accumulated debris requires the CAL FIRE residential permit (free at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov), AQMD burn-day confirmation (530-621-5897), pile size no larger than 4 feet in diameter, a 10-foot bare-soil clearance around the pile, water and shovel on site, and an attending adult. Burn barrels are illegal countywide. State law - California Public Resources Code Section 4291 - additionally requires 100 feet of defensible space around all habitable structures within the State Responsibility Area, with intensified fuel reduction in the 0-30 foot zone closest to the home.