Outdoor burning rules in Shasta 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.
Open outdoor burning of vegetation and residential landscape debris in unincorporated Shasta County requires a valid burn permit and is allowed only on permissive burn days, within set hours that depend on elevation. Burning trash, plastic, tires, treated wood and most manufactured materials is prohibited, and burn barrels are banned except in very low-density areas.
Shasta County AQMD Rule 2:6 (Open Burning: General Provisions) governs outdoor burning in the unincorporated county, working alongside a CAL FIRE burn permit. As a baseline, 'a person shall not burn ... any waste substance in an open outdoor fire' except for the specific permitted categories the rule lists - agricultural burning, land-clearing/fire-hazard-reduction burning, and residential landscape-debris burning - each requiring a valid permit and compliance with Rule 2:7. Timing depends on elevation: below 1,000 feet (and in the named valley fire districts), burning is allowed on permissive burn days when the fire is ignited between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., extinguished by 5:00 p.m.; above 1,000 feet, ignition hours are set by the fire agency but never before 9:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m., with all fires out by midnight. 'Residential landscape debris' is limited to paper, cardboard, and dry natural vegetation reasonably free of dirt and moisture - not garbage, cloth, or petroleum debris. Since January 1, 2004, the rule prohibits burning petroleum products, construction and demolition debris, tires, tar paper, treated wood, plastics, garbage, and more. Burn barrels and incinerators are banned for residential waste except in census areas with population density of 3.0 persons per square mile or less. On No-Burn Days declared by the AQMD or California Air Resources Board, and during CAL FIRE's hazardous fire season when permits are suspended, burning is not allowed; always confirm the daily permissive-burn-day status first.
Burning without a permit, on a non-permissive or No-Burn Day, outside the allowed hours, or burning prohibited materials (trash, plastic, tires, treated wood, etc.) violates AQMD Rule 2:6 and can result in citation by the Shasta County Air Quality Management District. Escaped fires also trigger CAL FIRE/Shasta County Fire enforcement and liability for suppression costs.
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