Redding, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Redding, 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
- Vegetation burning
- Uncut vegetation/weed burning always illegal
- Bonfire permit
- Required from the fire code official
- Burn window
- Door-yard burning Nov-Apr, set by Shasta AQCD
- Paved surfaces
- Never allowed on paved streets, alleys, gutters
- Penalty
- $100 first infraction, misdemeanor by 3rd, § 9.20.070
Summary
Redding bans burning uncut vegetation or weeds outright and requires a fire-code-official permit for any bonfire, limiting most open burning to a door-yard window the Shasta County Air Quality Control District sets, under RMC § 9.20.100 amending the 2021 International Fire Code.
1.It is unlawful to burn uncut vegetation or weeds or to permit or cause any open burning of uncut vegetation or weeds.2.It is unlawful to start a bonfire or to permit or cause any open burning such as a bonfire unless a special permit is first obtained from the fire code official. Exception: burning conducted in a safe manner meeting the standards set for recreational, portable, or permanent outdoor fireplaces. 3.Open burning meeting the standard for door/yard burning shall be allowed for the months of November and April, or as otherwise specified by the fire code official. 4.The determination of authorized burn days and times shall be the responsibility of the Shasta County Air Quality Control District. 6.Open burning of any type is expressly prohibited on paved streets or paved alleys or in the gutters thereof, at any and all times.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48).
Full Breakdown
1 of the 2021 International Fire Code, bars burning uncut vegetation or weeds at any time and bars starting a bonfire, or any open burning like one, without first getting a special permit from the fire code official, unless the fire meets the separate safety standards for recreational, portable, or permanent outdoor fireplaces. Door/yard burning that meets those standards is allowed for the months the code lists as November and April, or as otherwise specified by the fire code official, though residents of the Buckeye Fire Protection District may burn under a standard annual permit through the whole November-through-April span, and land-clearing or fire-hazard-mitigation work can get its own special permit.
The Shasta County Air Quality Control District, not the city, decides which specific days and times burning is authorized, and the fire code official, the air district, or a designee can prohibit all open burning or revoke an active permit whenever conditions are hazardous. Regardless of season or permit status, open burning of any type is flatly prohibited on paved streets, paved alleys, or in their gutters at all times. 070, sets escalating penalties for any Fire Code violation, including this one.
Violations & Fines
Burning without a permit, igniting a bonfire outside the permitted door-yard window, or burning on a paved street, alley, or gutter violates § 9.20.100. Under the chapter's general penalty in § 9.20.070, a first violation is an infraction capped at $100, a second violation of the same section within a year is capped at $200, and a third violation of the same section within five years of the first is a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste in my backyard in Redding?
Do I need a permit for a bonfire?
Who decides when burning is banned due to bad air days?
What happens if I burn on a paved street or in the gutter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redding
How Redding compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Redding to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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