Rancho Cucamonga, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Rancho Cucamonga, 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
- Governing section
- RCMC § 8.17.140
- Rule
- No burning, burying or dumping refuse/recyclables/organics
- Exception
- Special permit from city council and/or fire district
- Scope
- Applies at any time, citywide
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine (§1.12.010)
Summary
Open burning of refuse, recyclables or organics is flatly illegal in Rancho Cucamonga unless the city council or the fire district has first issued a special permit. Municipal Code Section 8.17.140 also bars burying or dumping that same waste anywhere in the city at any time.
No person shall burn, bury or dump refuse, recyclables or organics within the city at any time, unless a special permit for such burning, burial or dumping has been issued pursuant to authority conferred by the city council, and/or the fire district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4999536; v21 updated 2026-07-15).
Full Breakdown
140, titled 'Burning, burial or dumping,' states that no person shall burn, bury or dump refuse, recyclables or organics within the city at any time, unless a special permit for that burning, burial or dumping has been issued under authority conferred by the city council and/or the fire district. The prohibition is written in absolute terms, at any time, with the only path around it running through an affirmative permit from the city council or the fire protection district, not a self-executing exception for weather, season, or property size.
17's refuse, recyclables and organics collection scheme, it targets the waste materials the chapter defines: putrescible and non-putrescible solid waste, source-separated recyclables, and food or green waste, rather than every open flame in the city, but a backyard burn barrel used to dispose of trash or yard clippings falls squarely inside it. The chapter gives the fire district a formal role alongside the city council in issuing any permit, reflecting that unpermitted burning is both a solid waste violation and a fire safety concern. There is no separate schedule of burn days or seasonal allowance written into this section; absent a permit, the default is prohibition every day of the year.
Violations & Fines
Burning, burying or dumping refuse, recyclables or organics without a permit issued by the city council or fire district violates Section 8.17.140, and enforcement defaults to Municipal Code Section 1.12.010(D): a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste in a burn barrel in Rancho Cucamonga?
Is there a permit that allows open burning in Rancho Cucamonga?
Does the burning ban cover burying trash instead of burning it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rancho Cucamonga
How Rancho Cucamonga compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Rancho Cucamonga to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle outdoor burning.