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

Section 11.18.020 of the Santee Municipal Code amends California Fire Code Section 307.4.3 to add a full set of restrictions on portable outdoor fireplaces, the category that covers backyard fire pits and chimeneas. Every unit must run under its manufacturer's instructions, and the code specifically bans jury-rigged devices like washing machine tub fireplaces anywhere in the city. The fireplace itself has to be built of steel or another approved noncombustible material, and while it's burning it must be covered with a metal screen or woven wire mesh spark arrestor with openings no larger than a quarter inch to keep embers from escaping.

It can only sit on bare ground or a noncombustible surface, clear of all vegetation, and it has to stay at least 15 feet from any combustible material or structure, never running under eaves, patio covers or other shade structures. Someone must watch it the whole time it's lit and put it out when it's done, and a garden hose or a 4A-rated fire extinguisher has to be within reach the entire time. Burning trash, rubbish or paper products in one is strictly prohibited. The Fire Code Official or another Fire Department representative can order it extinguished at any time for misuse, hazardous weather or any other safety concern, and under the companion Section 307.4.4 the whole category is barred outright whenever the National Weather Service issues a red-flag warning or fire weather watch.