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

3 (Portable outdoor fireplaces) for Oakland: these devices must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions and can't be operated within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material. The section carves out two exceptions by location. For one- and two-family dwellings outside a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area, portable outdoor fireplaces are allowed under the manufacturer's instructions without the separate exception clearance being spelled out further, the base 15-foot rule and manufacturer's directions govern. For one- and two-family dwellings inside a WUI Fire Area, the outdoor fireplace must be located at least 15 feet from a structure, combustible material, or vegetation, and must still be used per the manufacturer's instructions.

Oakland's WUI Fire Area is a large mapped zone in the hills, defined in Chapter 2 of the Fire Code amendments by a lengthy boundary description running roughly from the San Leandro border along Foothill Boulevard, MacArthur Boulevard, and the ridge neighborhoods up to the Berkeley line, homeowners near the hills should confirm their parcel's status with the Fire Prevention Bureau before assuming the non-WUI standard applies. 020, administers and enforces these amendments alongside the rest of the 2025 California Fire Code as adopted by Ordinance No. 13870 in December 2025. 4 amendment, regardless of the normal setback compliance.