Fairfield, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Fairfield, 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
- Approved fuel
- Clean, uncontaminated wood or manufactured logs
- Banned fuel
- Garbage, yard waste, leaves, construction debris
- Covered fires
- Bonfires, recreational fires, portable fireplaces
- Enforcers
- Fire Chief and deputized peace officers
- Named misdemeanors
- Deliberate burning (305.4), Burning Objects (310.7)
Summary
Fairfield's Fire Code amendments let residents run bonfires, recreational fires, and portable outdoor fireplaces, but only with clean, uncontaminated wood or manufactured wood logs under Section 8.3's added Section 307.6. Garbage, yard waste, leaves, and construction debris are banned fuel because they throw off objectionable smoke, and burning in violation of named sections carries misdemeanor exposure.
Subsection 307.6 is added to read as follows: 307.6 Materials. All materials used for bonfires, recreational fires, or in portable outdoor fireplaces shall be clean, uncontaminated wood, manufactured wood logs, or other such approved materials. Unapproved materials include, but are not limited to, contaminated wood, waste construction materials, garbage, yard waste and leaves, or other such materials that produce offensive or objectionable smoke emissions and are prohibited from use. ... Persons who fail to take immediate action to abate a fire or life safety hazard when ordered or notified to do so by the Chief or a duly authorized representative, or who violate the following sections of this code, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor: ... 305.4 Deliberate or negligent burning ... 310.7 Burning Objects
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-02, passed February 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
3. 6, added by that amendment, restricts what may go into any bonfire, recreational fire, or portable outdoor fireplace to clean, uncontaminated wood, manufactured wood logs, or other approved materials, and specifically bars contaminated wood, waste construction materials, garbage, yard waste, leaves, or anything else producing offensive or objectionable smoke. 1 ties open-air waste accumulation to Chapter 23 (Weeds and Rubbish) and Fairfield Fire Prevention Standard 19-24 on vegetation management, meaning brush and vegetation debris around a burn site are policed too. 5, with power to issue citations and make arrests. 7, Burning Objects, as misdemeanors regardless of the general infraction/misdemeanor discretion given elsewhere in the code.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 112.4, a Fire Code violation may be charged as an infraction or misdemeanor at the discretion of the City Attorney or the Solano County District Attorney, with every day of continuing violation treated as a separate offense. Section 112.4.2 makes violating Section 305.4 (Deliberate or Negligent Burning) or Section 310.7 (Burning Objects) a misdemeanor outright, and the Fire Chief can also order abatement of the hazard under Section 112.4.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or leaves in my backyard fire pit in Fairfield?
Who enforces Fairfield's open-fire rules?
Is negligent burning treated more seriously than using the wrong firewood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfield
How Fairfield compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Fairfield to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Solano County handle outdoor burning.