Outdoor burning rules in Tulare 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.
Outdoor burning of waste, rubbish, and trash is prohibited in unincorporated Tulare County. Residential yard-waste burning is generally not allowed under San Joaquin Valley air rules. In the foothills/mountains (State Responsibility Area), permitted residential and agricultural burning requires a CAL FIRE burn permit, a permissive burn day, and is suspended during fire season.
Two layers of law control outdoor burning in unincorporated Tulare County. First, Tulare County Ordinance Code Section 7-15-1130(f) amends California Fire Code Section 307.1.1 to expressly prohibit open burning of waste, rubbish, trash, and processed materials. Second, air quality is regulated by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD), whose Rule 4103 (Open Burning) has phased out most open burning; residential burning of leaves, prunings, and yard waste is generally not permitted, and trees and vines grown for personal use are not eligible to burn. Agricultural burning requires an SJVAPCD permit, is limited to approved materials, and is allowed only on District-declared permissive burn days. In the foothill/mountain State Responsibility Area (SRA) — Three Rivers, Springville, Camp Nelson and similar communities — CAL FIRE issues residential burn permits valid on a yearly cycle (May 1-April 30); CAL FIRE has partnered with SJVAPCD so an SRA permit covers both agencies' requirements. During elevated fire danger, CAL FIRE suspends all burn permits in Tulare County's SRA, and burning resumes only when the suspension is lifted. Always confirm it is a permissive burn day before lighting any fire.
Burning prohibited materials or burning without a required permit is an infraction under the adopted Fire Code (Code Section 7-15, penalty per Code Section 125) and can carry SJVAPCD penalties for air-quality violations. An escaped fire makes the responsible party liable for fire-suppression costs under Health & Safety Code 13009.
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