Fire pit rules in Yolo County, CA — also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances — cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Residential fire pits in unincorporated Yolo County must comply with the California Fire Code (adopted via Yolo County Code Title 7) and with the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD) burning rules. Recreational fires of clean wood or charcoal are allowed when YSAQMD does not have a no-burn day in effect. Burning of household waste is prohibited statewide, and only safe-and-sane equipment is allowed in mapped High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Yolo County does not maintain a stand-alone fire-pit ordinance. Instead, fire pits are regulated by three overlapping authorities: (1) the California Fire Code, which Yolo County has adopted by reference in Title 7 of its Code, sets clearance, fuel, and supervision requirements for recreational fires (typically no more than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material, with constant adult supervision and an extinguishing source on hand); (2) the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), which issues 'Don't Light Tonight' advisories and burn-day declarations - on a no-burn day, residential outdoor burning is not allowed; and (3) the local fire protection district (West Plainfield, Capay Valley, Esparto, Springlake, Zamora, Madison-Esparto, and others), which may require a backyard burn permit and which can suspend burning during red-flag warnings. Burning of garbage, plastic, painted wood, or treated lumber is prohibited statewide. Propane and natural-gas fire features are not subject to YSAQMD burn-day restrictions.
Open-burning violations are enforced by the local fire protection district and by YSAQMD. Penalties include extinguishment orders, civil fines from YSAQMD for burning on a no-burn day, and fire-code citations from the fire district. Where a fire escapes containment, the responsible party can be billed for suppression costs under California Health & Safety Code Section 13009.
Yolo County, CA
Barking and animal-noise complaints in Yolo County are handled by Yolo County Animal Services (operated through the Yolo County Sheriff's Office), which serv...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County regulates construction by decibel level rather than a strict time-of-day ban. Under the Zoning Code noise standard, construction noise may not ex...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County does not impose a single countywide curfew on all noise. Instead, the Yolo County Zoning Code uses a noise standard (Sec. 10-8.416, formerly Sec....
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County enforces abandoned-vehicle rules through California Vehicle Code Sections 22523 (prohibition on abandoning), 22651 (impound authority), and 22658...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County regulates the parking and storage of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers on residential property under the Zoning Code, principally Sec. 8...
Yolo County, CA
Yolo County is in the heart of California's almond, sunflower, and seed-crop belt and is a major beekeeping county. State law (California Food & Agricultural...
See how Yolo County'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.