Outdoor burning rules in Vacaville, CA β also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance β set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Open burning of vegetation, yard waste, or rubbish inside Vacaville City limits is unlawful under Vacaville Municipal Code Chapter 8.04 unless the Fire Chief has issued written permission. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District also regulates outdoor burning regionally and prohibits all burning on declared 'Don't Light Tonight' no-burn days. Most residential yard-waste burning is effectively banned.
Vacaville's open-burning regime sits at three layers. (1) Local fire-safety layer: VMC Chapter 8.04 makes it unlawful to destroy weeds and rubbish by burning within the City unless the property owner first obtains the written permission of the Fire Chief, and VMC Chapter 15.20.271 adopts California Fire Code Section 307, which regulates open burning citywide. (2) Air-quality layer: Vacaville is within the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD). YSAQMD requires permits for any agricultural burn and prohibits all wood-burning recreational fires and yard-waste burns on declared 'Don't Light Tonight' no-burn days (mostly Nov 1 β Feb 28). (3) State wildland layer: For any property in a CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area along Vacaville's western edge, a CAL FIRE burn permit from burnpermit.fire.ca.gov is required before most outdoor burns and is suspended during CAL FIRE LNU's annual fire-season closure (typically late spring through fall). Recreational fires meeting CFC 307.4.2 (under 3 ft x 2 ft, 25-ft setback, clean firewood) are allowed when no-burn rules are not in effect. Burning trash, lumber, plywood, treated wood, plastic, pallets, furniture, and construction debris is prohibited everywhere by both YSAQMD and California Health & Safety Code.
Burning weeds, rubbish, or yard waste in the City without the Fire Chief's written approval is a violation of VMC Chapter 8.04, subject to abatement cost recovery and the City's general penalty provisions. YSAQMD civil penalties for burning on a no-burn day, burning prohibited materials, or burning without an agricultural permit typically start at several hundred dollars per occurrence and escalate sharply for repeat violations. A negligently set fire that escapes triggers full CAL FIRE suppression-cost liability under California Health & Safety Code Β§13009.
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