Aliso Viejo, CA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

AVMC 13.04.030 adds Section 307.6 to the fire code for outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, fire rings and similar exterior devices used at Group R occupancies. Barbecues, grills and other portable devices intended solely for cooking are excepted.

Gas devices come first. Under Section 307.6.1, fireplaces and fire pits fueled by natural gas or liquefied-petroleum gas are allowed when approved by the Building Department and designed to burn only a gas flame, not wood or other solid fuel. At R-3 occupancies, combustible construction and vegetation shall not be located within three feet of an atmospheric column that extends vertically from the perimeter of the device. At other R occupancies the minimum distance is ten feet. A permanent Building Department approved hood and vent lets combustible construction encroach on the column between the bottom of the hood and the vent opening, and any chimney or vent needs a spark arrester as defined in Section 202.

Wood and other solid fuel devices face tougher limits. Under Section 307.6.2, permanent outdoor fireplaces burning wood must be built to the California Building Code with a firebox and attached chimney and a maintained method of arresting sparks. Burning wood or other solid fuel in a device is not allowed within 25 feet of combustible structures unless within an approved permanent fireplace, and conditions that could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet of a structure or to vegetation must be eliminated before ignition. Portable fireplaces and fire rings or pits equipped with a spark-arresting device must sit at least 3 feet from combustible construction at R-3 occupancies and at least 15 feet from combustible structures at other R occupancies.

Section 307.6.2.1 bars burning wood and solid fuels within a fuel modification zone, Wildfire Risk Area or Wildland-Urban Interface Area, with exceptions for permanent fireplaces outside a fuel modification zone and for locations the Fire Code Official finds should reasonably prevent the start of a wildfire. The residential code version in AVMC 13.02.120, Section R1001.14.2, words the wood rule with a 15-foot figure and lets a permanent or portable fireplace qualify, so both texts apply to a project. The Section 305.6 burn restrictions also apply.