Petaluma, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Sonoma County Code Chapter 13 (Fire Safety Ordinance) adopts the California Fire Code Section 307 (open burning) and is enforced jointly with CAL FIRE in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and with local fire-protection districts in the Local Responsibility Area (LRA). Two air-quality regimes apply: in northern Sonoma County (Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Geyserville and the rest of the Russian River north of Windsor), the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NoSoCoAir, (707) 433-5911) issues burn permits and announces daily 'burn'/'no-burn' days; in southern Sonoma County (Petaluma, Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa area), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District ((415) 749-4900) administers Regulation 5 burn rules. In the SRA, CAL FIRE additionally requires a free burn permit (burnpermit.fire.ca.gov) any time the State has declared fire season open - typically May 1 through the first soaking rains in November or December. Even with permits, burning is suspended whenever fire weather is elevated; the Permit Sonoma Fire Marshal and CAL FIRE post daily burn-day status. Allowed material is limited to dry natural vegetation (leaves, pine needles, prunings) generated on the property; burning of household trash, leaves contaminated with plastic, painted or treated lumber, tires, rubber, oil, construction debris, or any material producing dense smoke is prohibited statewide under California Health & Safety Code Section 41700 and air-district rules. Burn piles may not exceed 4 feet by 4 feet, must be at least 10 feet from any combustible material with a cleared area around them, must be attended at all times by a responsible adult with shovel and water, and must be reported to REDCOM dispatch at (707) 565-1700 on the day of the burn.