Westminster, CA Fire Regulations: Backyard Fires (2026)

There is no Westminster Municipal Code provision that specifically authorizes or bans small recreational backyard fires, so they are governed by the California Fire Code—adopted in Municipal Code Chapter 15.22 and enforced for the city by the Orange County Fire Authority—together with South Coast AQMD air-quality rules. The distinction that matters most is between a recreational fire and open burning. Cooking and small recreational fires in an approved fire pit, chiminea, or portable outdoor fireplace using clean, dry firewood are permitted, provided they are attended, controlled, kept clear of structures and combustibles, and have a means of extinguishment nearby. Burning rubbish, leaves, or yard waste is treated as prohibited open burning under South Coast AQMD Rule 444 and is not allowed in this urban air basin. Air-quality limits apply even to legal recreational wood fires: on a South Coast AQMD "Check Before You Burn" no-burn day (generally November through February), residential wood burning is banned district-wide. Finally, because Westminster is densely developed, persistent smoke or odor reaching neighboring properties can be enforced as a public nuisance under WMC Chapter 8.20, independent of the fire and air-quality codes.