Backyard recreational and waste burning is effectively prohibited in unincorporated Contra Costa County: BAAQMD Regulation 5 does not authorize residential yard-waste or trash fires, the County Fire Code (Ord. 2025-14) declares combustible material on a parcel a public nuisance, and Fire Code Section 324 lets the Fire District suppress unattended fires at the owner's expense.
The Fire Code (Section 202, added by Ord. 2025-14) defines 'Combustible Material' as 'rubbish, litter or material of any kind other than hazardous vegetation that is combustible and endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard,' and a 'Public Nuisance' as the fire code official's declaration that such combustibles create a fire hazard (citing H&S Code Sections 14875 and 14876). Open backyard waste burning is not among BAAQMD Regulation 5's 17 allowed categories. Recreational fires using approved wood/charcoal or LP-gas devices fall under Section 4104.2; charcoal grills on combustible balconies within 10 feet of combustible construction are prohibited (with a residential occupancy exception). Section 324.1.2 authorizes the Fire District to charge suppression costs back to the property owner under H&S Code Section 13009 when reasonable precautions are not taken.
Per Section 112.4 (Ord. 2025-14), Fire Code violations are infractions or misdemeanors under H&S Code Section 13871; each 10 days of a maintained prohibited condition is a separate offense. The Fire District may enter the property and recover all suppression and EMS costs from the owner as a contract debt (Section 324.1.2; H&S Code Section 13009). Public-nuisance abatement procedures under H&S Code Sections 14875-14876 also apply.
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