Compton, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Compton, 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
- Governing law
- Compton Municipal Code § 24-2.2(m)
- Rule
- Open burning of trash, wood or other substances banned
- Emergency power
- City Manager can order immediate abatement
- Standard track
- Notice, then hearing before a Hearing Officer
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 24-3.9
- Applies to
- Owners, tenants, anyone controlling the property
Summary
Compton bans open burning of trash, wood or other materials on any property in the city, treating it outright as a public nuisance under Municipal Code § 24-2.2(m). Anyone who owns, leases, rents or controls property where open burning happens can be ordered to stop, faces a public hearing if they ignore the notice, and risks a misdemeanor prosecution under Chapter 24.
It is unlawful and a public nuisance for any person owning, leasing, renting, occupying or having charge or control of any property in the City of Compton to maintain or to allow to be maintained, such property in such manner that any of the following conditions are found to exist thereon, except as may be otherwise allowed by this Municipal Code: ... m. Open burning of trash, wood or other substances.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4952997; v15 updated 2026-07-14; through 07-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
2, adopted under Ordinance 2174 as part of Compton's property maintenance nuisance findings, lists open burning of trash, wood or other substances as subsection (m), one of twenty-one specific conditions the City Council declared to be a public nuisance on any property in the city, regardless of zoning. The prohibition applies broadly to any person owning, leasing, renting, occupying or controlling the property, meaning a tenant cannot avoid responsibility by pointing to the landlord and vice versa. 7 also lets the City Manager bypass the standard notice-and-hearing process altogether and order emergency abatement on the spot when the condition is an immediate threat to health, safety or welfare, with the hearing on costs held afterward.
11 requires the order to state a reasonable compliance deadline. 9 makes any violation of the Chapter 24 nuisance provisions a misdemeanor independent of the civil abatement track, so the City is not required to complete the administrative process before pursuing criminal charges for an open burn.
Violations & Fines
Open burning is a misdemeanor under Section 24-3.9, prosecutable regardless of whether the City also pursues civil abatement. Because it can be an immediate hazard, Section 24-3.7 allows the City Manager to order emergency abatement without prior notice or hearing, with cost recovery and a hearing on the expenses held after the fact; noncompliance with a standard abatement order under Section 24-3.10(a) is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to burn trash or wood in my Compton backyard?
Can the City act immediately on an open burn without giving notice first?
What happens if I ignore an abatement notice for open burning?
Who investigates open burning complaints in Compton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Compton
How Compton compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Compton to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle outdoor burning.