Mono County, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Mono County's air quality is regulated by the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD), which covers Alpine, Mono, and Inyo counties from its Bishop office. GBUAPCD Rule 406 ('Open Outdoor Fires') and the companion rules - Rule 407 (Incinerator and Burn Barrel Burning), Rule 408 (Open Burning in Agricultural Operations or Disease/Pest Prevention), Rule 409 (Range Improvement Burning), Rule 410 (Forest Management Burning), and Rule 411 (Wildland Vegetation Management Burning in Wildland and Wildland/Urban Interface Areas) - govern when and what may be burned outdoors. In practice, burning of dry natural vegetation on piles on the ground is allowed only with a valid burn permit, only on a District-declared permissive burn day, and only in allowable rural areas; burning of household trash or other residential waste is never allowed anywhere in California. Beyond the air district, a fire-hazard-reduction (vegetation) burn also requires a CAL FIRE burn permit when not under a burn suspension, and CAL FIRE and BLM routinely suspend all burn permits in Inyo and Mono counties during peak fire season. On National Forest land, separate USFS rules and seasonal fire orders apply. Before any outdoor burn, residents must verify it is a permissive burn day with GBUAPCD and that burn permits have not been suspended.