Merced County, CA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Merced County, CA, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Base rule
- Permit required for any open/outdoor fire
- Permitting authority
- Merced County Fire Chief
- Dooryard exemption covers
- Stoves, lanterns, heaters, similar appliances only
- Open-fire exemption
- Established camp sites only (§9.24.220)
- Attendance duty
- Adult must watch and fully extinguish fire
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine and/or 6 months jail
Summary
In unincorporated Merced County, a backyard fire pit is an 'open or outdoor fire' that needs a permit from the county fire chief under Code Section 9.24.130. The dooryard exemption in that section only clearly covers stoves, lanterns, heaters, and similar flame appliances, not open fires, and open fire is exempted only within an established campsite.
It is unlawful for any person to build, light, maintain, or cause or permit to be built, lighted, or maintained any open or outdoor fire; ... unless a permit to do so is first obtained from the county fire chief. Nothing in this section shall apply to the use of any such heating or lighting appliance within any building, nor within the boundaries of the dooryard premises of any place of habitation, nor of any such heating or lighting appliance or open fire within the boundaries of any established camp site, as defined in Section 9.24.220.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4930839; v8 updated 2026-06-02).
Full Breakdown
130 makes it unlawful to build, light, or maintain 'any open or outdoor fire' anywhere in the unincorporated county, alongside burning brush, grass, trash, rubbish, or stubble, unless a permit is first obtained from the county fire chief. 220. Read together, the dooryard exemption for a home's yard names only heating or lighting appliances like a stove, lantern, heater, lamp, or torch, while the phrase 'or open fire' is paired only with the established-campsite exemption. A recreational open fire, such as a wood-burning fire pit, therefore falls under the general permit requirement unless the property qualifies as an established camp site.
200 adds that any permitted outdoor fire must be attended by an adult and thoroughly extinguished, by covering it with dirt or saturating it with water, before it is left. 060.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining an open or outdoor fire without a permit violates Section 9.24.130, and Section 9.24.360 makes any violation of this chapter a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day a violation continues after notice treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a fire pit in my backyard in unincorporated Merced County?
What's exempt from the county's open-fire permit rule?
Do I have to watch my fire pit while it's burning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced County
How Merced County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Merced County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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