Santa Clara, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Santa Clara, 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
- SCCC § 15.65.080, Ch. 15.65 Wood Burning Appliances
- Adopted
- Ordinance 1767 § 2, 5-21-2002
- General rule
- No burning solid waste except in a compliant appliance
- Public property fires
- Banned except Fire Dept-directed
- Prohibited fuels
- Treated wood, trash, coal, driftwood, paints (§ 15.65.070)
- Relief valve
- Fire Marshal outdoor fire permit (§ 15.65.080(e))
Summary
Santa Clara bans burning solid waste anywhere in the city except fuel burned in a compliant wood burning appliance, and no fire may be kindled on any public street, alley or waterway unless the Fire Department itself is directing it.
No person shall burn any solid waste within the limits of the City except in accordance with and subject to the following limitations and conditions: (a) No person shall burn any garbage, or any rubbish that originates from any industrial or commercial establishment or any hospital, clinic, medical or dental office or medical laboratory, except in accordance with SCCC Title 15. (b) No person shall create or cause the emission of noxious or offensive odors, dense smoke, or any private or public nuisance by burning any solid waste. (c) No fire shall be kindled or maintained by any person within or upon any public street, way, road, alley, waterway, or other public property or place, except by a member of the Fire Department acting under the direction of the Fire Chief or a designee of the Fire Chief. (d) No person shall burn any solid waste within or upon any premises except for the burning of fuel in wood burning appliances, which is not prohibited under this chapter.
Full Breakdown
65's wood burning appliance rules adopted by Ordinance 1767 in 2002, sets the city's general open burning prohibition. Subsection (a) bars burning garbage or any rubbish from an industrial, commercial, hospital, clinic, medical or dental office or medical laboratory source except as SCCC Title 15 otherwise allows. Subsection (b) bans creating noxious or offensive odors, dense smoke, or a private or public nuisance through burning solid waste, regardless of the fuel. Subsection (c) prohibits kindling or maintaining a fire on any public street, way, road, alley, waterway or other public property, with the narrow exception of a Fire Department member acting under the Fire Chief's direction.
060 requires EPA or Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District certification and a building permit before installation). 60 of the Municipal Fire and Environmental Code.
Violations & Fines
Open burning violations are enforced under the Title 15 enforcement provision, SCCC § 15.80.010, which authorizes the City to pursue noncompliant burning as a criminal, civil, or administrative matter at its prosecutorial discretion under SCCC § 1.05.070; a fire kindled on public property without Fire Department direction or fuel burned outside a certified appliance falls squarely within the prohibition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste or trash in my backyard in Santa Clara?
Is it legal to have a fire on a public street or alley in Santa Clara?
What if my burning creates smoke that bothers my neighbors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
How Santa Clara compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle outdoor burning.