Brentwood, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Two sections of the solid waste chapter, not the fire code, set Brentwood's open-burning rules. 140 makes it unlawful for anyone to burn solid waste, recyclable material, organic waste, hazardous waste, infectious waste or any other chapter-covered material on a street, alley, park or public place anywhere in the city, with no exceptions and no permit process available for public land. 150 allows burning only with a permit obtained first from the city's fire service provider, the agency that also handles fire suppression and permitting for Brentwood.

The fire chief can attach conditions to the permit, and burning is separately subject to the regulations of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, so a city permit does not excuse compliance with regional air rules. The code specifically bars issuing a permit for burning that will emit dense soot or smoke or liberate obnoxious odors, and bars any permit for burning that would create a hazard to persons or property. Once a permitted burn is done, the residue must be thoroughly extinguished without delay so that no smoldering continues; leaving smoldering debris is itself a basis for the fire service provider to revoke the permit, alongside any other failure to follow the regulations of this chapter, BAAQMD rules, or conditions the fire service provider imposed when granting the permit.

600 applies to violations, and an unlawful burn can also be treated as an accumulation or improper-deposit violation elsewhere in the chapter if debris or ash is left on the property afterward.