Monterey County, CA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Monterey County, CA, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- Designated camping/picnic areas, in an approved receptacle
- Unattended fires
- Expressly prohibited
- Hot ash/embers
- Only into an authorized fire pit or incinerator
- Rule's scope
- County parks only; no general private-property rule
- Vacation rentals
- All outdoor fire areas separately banned (Ch. 7.120)
Summary
Inside Monterey County parks, fires are allowed only in an authorized fire pit, stove, incinerator, or similar receptacle in a designated camping or picnicking area, per Code § 14.12.050(A)(7), and no fire may be left unattended. The county's code has no general open-burning or fire-pit rule for private property outside its parks.
5.Throw or deposit any burning substance into or onto any combustible place or area, except into an authorized fire pit or incinerator... 7.Build, kindle or use any cooking or similar fire, except in a designated camping or picnicking area in a fire pit, stove, incinerator, or other similar facility receptacle provided by, or approved by, parks personnel.8.Leave unattended any fire kindled by the person.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
12 (County Parks), regulates fire only inside the County park system. Paragraph 7 prohibits building, kindling, or using any cooking or similar fire, except in a designated camping or picnicking area in a fire pit, stove, incinerator, or other similar facility receptacle provided by, or approved by, parks personnel. Paragraph 5 separately bars throwing or depositing any burning substance into or onto any combustible place or area, except into an authorized fire pit or incinerator, and Paragraph 8 makes it unlawful to leave unattended any fire kindled by the person.
Together the three paragraphs mean a park visitor may build a cooking or warming fire only in an approved receptacle within a designated camping or picnic area, must keep it attended at all times, and may not discard hot ash or embers anywhere but that same receptacle. 120 separately bans all outdoor fire areas, including approved recreational fire containers and portable fireplaces, at every licensed vacation rental. Anyone burning outside a County park, including in Big Sur's Coastal Zone wildland areas, should look to CAL FIRE and Monterey County Regional Fire District permitting rather than this Code, since the general ordinances are silent on that question.
Violations & Fines
An unattended or improperly located fire in a County park violates § 14.12.050(A)(5), (7), and (8), and Parks personnel or Sheriff's Office safety employees can expel the violator from the park on the spot under § 14.12.130(F), with a six-month park ban following any expulsion under § 14.12.130(F)(1). Parks staff may also issue an administrative citation under § 14.12.130(H), with fines set under Monterey County Code Chapters 1.20 and 1.22, and an escaped or negligently maintained fire can additionally expose the violator to State fire-law liability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a campfire in a Monterey County park?
Does Monterey County regulate fire pits on private residential property?
What happens if I leave a campfire unattended in a Monterey County park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey County
How Monterey County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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