Yolo County, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Yolo County, CA, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Air district authority
- Yolo-Solano AQMD (YSAQMD) Regulation II
- Burn-day line
- (530) 757-3660
- Fire district notification
- (530) 666-8998
- Burn window
- 9:00 a.m. start; no smoldering past 5:00 p.m.
- Maximum pile size
- 4 ft high x 6 ft diameter
- Setback from property/structures
- 50 ft
- Setback from combustibles
- 15 ft
- Permitted material
- Dry vegetative material grown on the property only
- Adopted Fire Code
- Yolo County Code Sec. 7-1.02 (California Fire Code)
Summary
Open burning in unincorporated Yolo County requires three separate authorizations: (1) a permissive burn day declared by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), (2) a valid burn permit issued by the local fire protection district (and, for SRA areas, by Cal Fire under PRC Section 4423), and (3) compliance with the open-burning controls in the California Fire Code adopted by Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02. Only dry vegetative material grown on the property may be burned; burn windows are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no smoldering past 5 p.m.
Rural yard burning is the open burning of vegetative material (dry weeds, plant prunings, shrubbery, tree trimmings and branches) from around a residential property not located in an incorporated city. Rural yard burning is permitted in Yolo-Solano AQMD only on District approved burn days and only when authorized by a resident's local fire district. Fires may not start before 9 a.m. and smolder or burn later than 5:00 p.m. Piles cannot exceed 4 feet high by 6 feet diameter and must maintain 50 feet clearance from neighboring property and structures, plus 15 feet from combustible materials. Trash, building materials, pallets, furniture, coal, and other non-organic materials are illegal to burn.
Full Breakdown
11. ' In addition, the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District directly regulates all outdoor burning under YSAQMD Regulation II. Per YSAQMD's published rural-yard-burning rules: 'Rural yard burning is permitted in Yolo-Solano AQMD only on District approved burn days and only when authorized by a resident's local fire district. m. Piles cannot exceed 4 feet high by 6 feet diameter and must maintain 50 feet clearance from neighboring property and structures, plus 15 feet from combustible materials. Only dry, vegetative material may be burned - including tree prunings, leaves, weeds, crop stubble, and ditch banks.
' Residents must call the YSAQMD agricultural burn line at (530) 757-3660 each morning to confirm burn-day status, and contact Yolo County fire dispatch at (530) 666-8998 to notify the local fire district before ignition. Agricultural burns also require an annual ag-burn permit and pre-ignition authorization from YSAQMD. Cal Fire maintains its own burn-permit suspensions for State Responsibility Area portions of western Yolo County (the Capay Valley, Dunnigan Hills, and surrounding rangelands), typically from late spring through fall.
Violations & Fines
Burning without YSAQMD authorization, without a fire-district permit, on a no-burn day, after 5:00 p.m., or of prohibited materials violates the California Fire Code adopted by Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02 and YSAQMD Regulation II. California Public Resources Code Section 4421 makes it a misdemeanor to set fire to forest, brush, or vegetation that escapes. California Health & Safety Code Section 13009 makes any person whose negligent or unlawful fire requires suppression liable for the full cost of fighting it, plus investigation and accounting costs; Section 13009.1 adds emergency-response and victim costs. YSAQMD may issue Notices of Violation with civil penalties under California Health & Safety Code Section 42400 et seq.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if today is a burn day in unincorporated Yolo County?
Can I burn household trash, painted wood, or plastic in my burn pile?
What happens if my legal burn escapes onto a neighbor's land?
Sources & Official References
- [1]Yolo-Solano AQMD - Rural Yard Burning Rules
- [2]Yolo-Solano AQMD - Agricultural Burning Rules
- [3]Yolo-Solano AQMD - Burning Overview
- [4]Yolo County Code Sec. 7-1.02 - Adoption of California Fire Code
- [5]California Public Resources Code Section 4423 - Burn Permits in SRA
- [6]California Health & Safety Code Section 13009 - Suppression-Cost Liability
- [7]CAL FIRE Burn Permits Portal
Other rules in Yolo County
How Yolo County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Yolo County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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