Berkeley Burn Bans Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Berkeley operates under a multi-layered framework of burn bans and open burning restrictions that reflects both regional air quality mandates and local fire safety concerns shaped by the catastrophic 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills firestorm.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) prohibits open outdoor burning throughout its nine-county jurisdiction — including all of Alameda County and the City of Berkeley — under Regulation 5, Rule 1. This is a year-round prohibition that applies to the burning of all materials outdoors, including yard waste, leaves, tree trimmings, construction debris, agricultural residue, and trash. BAAQMD burn permits are available for certain agricultural, land management, and fire training purposes, but residential burning permits are not issued. This means that Berkeley residents may never burn yard waste or debris on their property at any time of year.

In addition to the BAAQMD open burning prohibition, the BAAQMD Spare the Air program imposes temporary bans on all wood-burning fires — including recreational fire pits, chimineas, and indoor wood-burning fireplaces and stoves — on days when particulate matter concentrations are forecast to exceed health standards. Spare the Air alerts are most frequent during the winter months (November through February) when atmospheric inversions trap wood smoke in the Bay Area's valleys and basins. On Spare the Air days, only gas-fueled fire pits and EPA-certified gas inserts are exempt. Violations carry escalating fines from $100 to $1,000 per offense per winter season.

The Berkeley Fire Department imposes additional local burn bans through its authority under the California Fire Code and the Berkeley Municipal Code Title 19. During red flag weather events — characterized by low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds — the Fire Chief may declare a local fire danger period that prohibits all outdoor fires, including contained recreational fire pits, throughout the city or within the Hillside Fire Zone. The Hillside Fire Zone encompasses the densely wooded neighborhoods in the Berkeley Hills east of the Hayward Fault, including areas around Grizzly Peak, Panoramic Hill, Claremont Canyon, and Tilden Park, where fire risk is highest due to steep terrain, dense eucalyptus and Monterey pine forests, and narrow winding streets that complicate evacuation and fire apparatus access.

Berkeley's Fire Department maintains a Vegetation Management Program that requires hillside property owners to create and maintain defensible space around structures and to clear dead vegetation and accumulated fuel loads. During locally declared fire danger periods, the Fire Department may also restrict the use of power tools, mowers, and other spark-generating equipment in the Hillside Fire Zone. Residents can sign up for Berkeley's emergency notification system (AC Alert) to receive burn ban and fire danger notifications.

Berkeley's environmental ethos — the city was one of the first in California to ban natural gas in new buildings and has some of the most aggressive climate and air quality policies in the state — reinforces the strict approach to burning. The city actively promotes alternatives to wood burning, including electric fireplaces and patio heaters, and encourages residents to compost or use green waste bins rather than burn organic material.