Fire pit rules in Cupertino, CA — also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances — cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Cupertino has no separate fire-pit ordinance, so the adopted 2022 California Fire Code governs. Portable outdoor fireplaces cannot be used within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material, and all outdoor fires must be constantly attended with extinguishing equipment ready.
Cupertino adopts the 2022 California Fire Code by Municipal Code Chapter 16.40 and did not amend the recreational-fire and portable-fireplace provisions of CFC Section 307. Under CFC 307.4.3, portable outdoor fireplaces such as chimineas and store-bought fire pits must not be operated within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material, though a listing exception applies at one- and two-family dwellings when used per manufacturer instructions. Recreational fires must stay 25 feet from structures per CFC 307.4.2. All such fires must be attended until extinguished, with a garden hose, water, dirt, or 4-A extinguisher available per CFC 307.5. During a BAAQMD Winter Spare the Air mandatory burn ban, wood-burning fire pits and chimineas may not be used.
Using a fire pit too close to a structure, leaving it unattended, or operating one on a Spare the Air burn ban day can be cited as a Fire Code violation by the Santa Clara County Fire Department.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
cupertino-ca
Under California's SB 1383, Cupertino residents and businesses must keep food scraps and yard trimmings out of the trash and use Recology South Bay's organic...
cupertino-ca
Artificial turf is not counted as drought-tolerant landscaping in California, and under SB 676 (Government Code 53087.7) cities like Cupertino may regulate s...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino's Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 14.15) implements California's MWELO and caps turf at 25% of landscape area, favoring...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino places no ban on residential rainwater harvesting and actively encourages on-site rainwater and graywater capture in its Water-Efficient Landscape ...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino has permanent water-waste prohibitions under Municipal Code Chapter 15.32, banning runoff, hosing pavement, and un-nozzled hoses. Water is supplied...
cupertino-ca
Cupertino declares overgrown weeds and dry brush a fire nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 9.08, enforced through a Santa Clara County weed abatement prog...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how other cities in Santa Clara County handle fire pit rules.
See how Cupertino's fire pit rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.