Hawthorne, CA Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

Hawthorne Municipal Code Section 8.32.070 governs backyard cooking, recreational, and ceremonial fires on private property. Such fires are allowed only in a commercially produced container (a manufactured fire pit, chiminea, or barbecue) or a container specifically approved by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and may be fueled only by coal, charcoal briquettes, white gas, natural gas, or liquefied natural gas. Open ground fires - building a fire directly on the dirt or in a homemade pit - are not permitted, and burning yard waste, trash, or construction debris is barred by both Section 8.32.070 and South Coast AQMD Rule 444. Because Hawthorne adopts the Los Angeles County Fire Code (Section 8.32.060), which incorporates California Fire Code Chapter 3, a backyard fire should be kept a safe distance from buildings, fences, and combustible material and be constantly attended by a responsible adult with a hose, extinguisher, or other means of putting it out until fully extinguished. Gas and propane fire pits and barbecues are the simplest compliant options; wood-burning recreational fires are also subject to SCAQMD residential wood-burning restrictions on poor-air-quality days.