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

3 of the 2024 International Fire Code into Pasadena's Fire Prevention Code, governing portable outdoor fireplaces such as chimineas, fire bowls and similar freestanding units. It requires operation in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and prohibits use within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material. The section carves out two exceptions that determine who the 15-foot rule actually reaches: portable outdoor fireplaces used at one- and two-family dwellings are exempt outright, and units used at Fire Department-staffed special events are exempt if the fire code official approves them within parameters the fire code official sets.

That means most Pasadena homeowners using a portable fire pit or chiminea in a single-family or duplex yard fall outside the 15-foot rule itself, though the requirement to follow manufacturer's instructions and the rest of the adopted 2025 California Fire Code, including general prohibitions on creating fire and life-safety hazards, still applies. The setback binds multifamily properties, commercial sites and other occupancies not covered by the one- or two-family exemption. 28 as a whole was rewritten in full effective November 10, 2025 under Ordinance No.

040 sets the chapter's general violation penalty at a misdemeanor for anyone who erects, installs, alters, repairs or does work in violation of this code, or fails to comply with a fire code official's directive or permit condition.