Riverside County, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Riverside 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
- Permit fee
- $85 open burning permit
- Governing adoption
- County Code § 8.32.040
- WUI areas
- separate permit required
- Applies to
- unincorporated area only
- Enforced by
- Riverside County Fire Department
Summary
Riverside County adopts the California Fire Code's open-burning rules for the unincorporated area and requires an $85 Fire Code operational permit before any open burning, plus a separate permit inside Wildland-Urban Interface zones.
Except as stated in this section or as amended below in Section 8.32.050 of this chapter, all of the provisions and appendices of the 2025 California Fire Code...are hereby adopted and shall apply to the unincorporated areas of Riverside County...Chapters 3, 25, and Sections, 503, 510.2, 1103.2, and 5707 are adopted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The Board of Supervisors adopted the 2025 California Fire Code, including Chapter 3 (open burning), for unincorporated Riverside County under County Code § 8.32.040, with no local amendment to the open-burning provisions. County Code § 4.44.130 sets the resulting Fire Code Operational Permit fee schedule, listing 'Open Burning' at $85. In designated Wildland-Urban Interface areas, § 8.32.070(C)(1) separately lists open burning among the activities requiring a Fire Code Official permit before work begins.
Violations & Fines
Unpermitted open burning violates the adopted Fire Code (County Code § 8.32.050.G, replacing CFC § 113.4) and Wildland-Urban Interface Code (§ 8.32.070.E). Punishment follows Ordinance No. 725 and Health & Safety Code §§ 17995-17995.5; Fire Department, Sheriff's, CAL FIRE and CHP personnel may cite violators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to do open burning in unincorporated Riverside County?
Does this rule apply inside Riverside, Temecula, or Moreno Valley?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
How Riverside County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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