Contra Costa County, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Contra Costa 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
- Regulator
- BAAQMD Regulation 5
- Local code
- Fire Code Section 324
- Burn day start
- No earlier than 10:00 a.m.
- Permit
- Required from local FPD
- Cost recovery
- H&S Code Section 13009
Summary
Open burning in unincorporated Contra Costa County is governed by BAAQMD Regulation 5 and County Fire Code Section 324. Residential yard-waste and trash burning is prohibited; allowable burns require a fire-district permit, a designated burn day, and no ignition before 10 a.m.
(i) Chapter 3 (General Precautions Against Fire) is amended by adding new Section 324 (Exterior Fire Hazard Control), to read:
"324. Exterior Fire Hazard Control.
324.1. Subsurface Fires.
324.1.1. Peat Fire. It is the duty of each person, firm, corporation, or association not to permit a peat fire or a fire involving combustible vegetable matters under the surface of the natural ground to remain upon the property. It is hereby declared that it is the duty of any person as herein defined to take all necessary precautions to extinguish any subsurface fire involving peat or vegetable material at the owner's own cost and expense.
324.1.2 Fire Suppression Costs. If there exists upon the lands or property of any person as herein defined a subsurface fire involving the burning or combustion of peat, vegetable matter, or vegetation, and the owner or occupant thereof has not taken reasonable precautions within a reasonable time to extinguish or minimize such fire or combustion, the Fire District may, in addition to its regular duties to extinguish or minimize such fire or combustion, go upon the lands of any person as herein defined and extinguish such fire or combustion. Any costs incurred by the Fire District in fighting the fire and for the cost of proving rescue or emergency medical services shall be a charge against the property owner. The charge shall constitute a debt of the property owner and is collectable by the jurisdiction incurring those costs in the same manner as in the case of an obligation under a contract, express or implied. (See Health and Safety Code, §13009.)"
Full Breakdown
Two layers of rules apply before anything burns in unincorporated Contra Costa County. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Regulation 5 lists the only allowable burn categories in the region, residential yard waste and trash aren't among them, so backyard burning is prohibited countywide. For burns that do qualify, County Fire Code Section 324 adds the safety terms: a permit from your local fire protection district, ignition no earlier than 10 a.m., and burning only on designated burn days. The stakes for getting it wrong are real, under Health & Safety Code Section 13009, the fire district can recover suppression costs from whoever's fire escapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or trash in my backyard?
How do I know if today is a 'burn day'?
What happens if a fire spreads from my land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Contra Costa County
How Contra Costa County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Contra Costa County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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