Outdoor burning rules in Orange 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 burning of residential yard waste, leaves, and tree trimmings is effectively prohibited across Orange County. South Coast AQMD Rule 444 and the 'Check Before You Burn' program (AQMD Rule 445) sharply restrict open and wood burning, and the California Fire Code requires a permit and bans open burning whenever atmospheric or local conditions make it hazardous.
Open (outdoor) burning in unincorporated Orange County is governed by a stack of rules rather than a single county ordinance. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) regulates open burning across all of Orange County under Rule 444; routine residential burning of yard waste, leaves, and tree-cutting debris is not authorized and such material is meant to go out for green-waste collection. Under California Fire Code Section 307.1.1, open burning is prohibited when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous, and Section 307.2 requires a permit from the fire code official before kindling fires for purposes such as bonfires, silvicultural work, or pest/disease control. Section 307.4 requires a bonfire to be kept at least 50 feet (15,240 mm) from any structure or combustible material. OCFA also restricts outdoor solid-fuel fires when sustained winds exceed 8 mph and humidity falls below 25 percent or a Red Flag condition is declared. Separately, the AQMD 'Check Before You Burn' program (Rule 445) runs November through February and bans wood burning Basin-wide on forecast high-PM2.5 no-burn days. Residents should check airalerts.org or call (866) 966-3293 before any outdoor burning.
AQMD open-burning and wood-burning violations are enforced by South Coast AQMD and carry administrative fines; complaints and no-burn status are handled at (866) 966-3293 / airalerts.org. Fire Code open-burning violations are enforced by OCFA, and the fire code official may order any non-permitted or hazardous fire extinguished under Section 307.3. Burning without a required permit, or during prohibited atmospheric conditions, is a code violation generally prosecuted as a misdemeanor.
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