Santa Ana, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Santa Ana, 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
- Wind/humidity trigger
- Sustained winds over 8 mph, RH under 25%
- Hard cutoff (any fuel)
- Sustained winds over 20 mph
- Other triggers
- Red flag warning or official posted ban
- Adopting section
- Muni Code § 14-18; Fire Code § 305.6
- Enforcing agency
- Orange County Fire Authority
- Rubbish burning
- Approved incinerator only (§ 305.7)
Summary
Santa Ana bans outdoor wood or solid-fuel fires whenever sustained winds top 8 mph with humidity under 25%, a red flag warning is declared, or the fire code official posts a ban notice. Any fuel type is off-limits once sustained winds exceed 20 mph.
Section 305.6 Hazardous conditions is hereby added as follows: 305.6 Hazardous conditions. Outdoor fires burning wood or other solid fuel are not allowed when any of the following conditions applies: 1. When predicted sustained winds exceed 8 MPH and relative humidity is less than 25%, or a red flag condition has been declared. 2. When an official sign was caused to be posted by the fire code official, or a public announcement is made. No outdoor fires using any fuel type are permitted when predicted sustained winds exceed 20 MPH or when such fires present a hazard as determined by the fire code official.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
6, added to the adopted California Fire Code by Santa Ana Municipal Code § 14-18 (Ord. No. NS-3088, § 18, adopted January 20, 2026), prohibits outdoor fires burning wood or other solid fuel when predicted sustained winds exceed 8 mph and relative humidity is below 25%, or when a red flag condition has been declared, or when the fire code official has posted an official sign or made a public announcement restricting burning. Beyond those weather triggers, the ordinance sets a hard ceiling: no outdoor fires of any fuel type, wood, gas, or otherwise, are permitted when predicted sustained winds exceed 20 mph, or whenever the fire code official independently determines the fire presents a hazard.
7, confines the burning of rubbish, trash, or combustible waste to an approved incinerator only, cross-referenced to the open-burning and recreational-fire standards in Section 307. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the "authority having jurisdiction" named throughout these Fire Code amendments and administers red-flag and wind/humidity determinations for Santa Ana.
Violations & Fines
Violating the hazardous-conditions burn restriction falls under the citywide general penalty, Santa Ana Municipal Code § 1-8: unless another penalty is specified, any Code violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, though the city attorney may instead cite it as an infraction. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, and OCFA field personnel can order an open fire extinguished on the spot when wind, humidity, or red-flag conditions are met.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn wood outdoors in Santa Ana on a windy day?
What triggers a citywide open-burning ban besides wind?
Who enforces Santa Ana's open burning rules?
What's the penalty for illegal open burning in Santa Ana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Ana
How Santa Ana compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Ana to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle outdoor burning.