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

160 requires outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, fire rings, or similar exterior devices at Group R (residential) occupancies to comply with the section, exempting only barbeques, grills, and other portable devices intended solely for cooking. 170 allows gas-fueled devices, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, when approved by the Building and Fire Department and designed to burn only a gas flame, not wood or solid fuel; at one- and two-family dwellings, combustible construction and flammable vegetation must stay at least three feet from the device, while other Group R occupancies need a 20-foot clearance, and any chimney or vent must have an approved spark arrester meeting California Mechanical Code Section 221.

180 bans burning wood and other solid fuels outright within a very high or high fire hazard severity zone, with the only exception being an approved permanent outdoor fireplace. 190 sets the standard for those permanent wood-burning fireplaces outside high-severity zones: they must be built to California Building Code clearance standards, contain fires within a firebox with an attached chimney, include an installed and maintained spark-arresting method at the firebox opening, and use a chimney spark arrester meeting Mechanical Code Section 221. All four sections were adopted by Ordinance 626-25 in 2025, continuing amendments first made by Ordinance 584 in 2022.