Shasta County, CA Fire Regulations: Fire Pit Rules (2026)

Shasta County is located in the Shasta-Trinity Unit of CalFire and a substantial portion of the county is State Responsibility Area, where CalFire rules apply year-round. Outside fire districts, burn permits are required from CalFire beginning May 1 each year for any open burning, with annual updates to the start date. Recreational campfires and fire pits using clean dry wood or natural gas/propane are generally allowed in approved permanent fire pits with appropriate spark arrestors, but are restricted during periods of high fire danger or red-flag warnings. The Shasta County Air Quality Management District publishes daily burn day status that controls whether residential burning (including some recreational fires) is permitted. Fire pits must be cleared of vegetation in a perimeter (typically 10 feet of cleared ground around the pit), and an adult must remain present with water or a shovel until the fire is fully out. Burning of trash, leaves, treated wood, and yard waste is prohibited under air quality rules. Within the City of Redding, Anderson, and Shasta Lake fire department rules apply.