Riverside allows gas-fueled outdoor fireplaces and fire pits but restricts wood-burning units to manufactured appliances with screens, under RMC Chapter 8.04 and SCAQMD rules.
Backyard recreational fires in Riverside must use approved appliances: natural-gas or propane fire pits are generally permitted year-round. Wood-burning appliances must be commercially manufactured units with spark arrestor screens, at least 25 feet from any structure, overhanging vegetation, or property line, and fuel must be clean dry wood, not trash or yard waste. On SCAQMD no-burn days, wood-burning units may not be used even outdoors. Open recreational ground fires without an approved appliance are treated as prohibited open burning under SCAQMD Rule 444. In VHFHSZ hillside neighborhoods, Riverside Fire may prohibit wood-burning outdoor fires entirely during Red Flag Warning conditions. Fire extinguisher or charged hose and an attending adult are required while any backyard fire is burning.
Unapproved or unattended backyard fires can result in citations up to $500, liability for any escape into vegetation, and Fire Department abatement of the appliance.
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