Outdoor burning rules in Nevada County, 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.
Outdoor burning of dry landscape vegetation is allowed in unincorporated Nevada County only on permissive burn days during the declared open burn season (typically December 1 through April 30). A free CAL FIRE LE-7 burn permit is required from May 1 onward and household trash burning is always prohibited.
Nevada County operates under CAL FIRE's open-burning rules together with Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District (NSAQMD) burn-day declarations. Outside the declared open season, burning of any kind is closed. During the open season piles must be 4 ft or less in diameter, cleared 10 ft to mineral soil, attended by an adult, and accompanied by a charged hose, shovel, and on-site water. Only natural vegetative debris from the property may be burned - never household trash, treated wood, plastics, or rubber (H&S 41700, NSAQMD Rule 304). Starting May 1 a CAL FIRE LE-7 permit is mandatory regardless of burn-day status; permits are obtained free at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov. Open burning is fully prohibited within the city limits of Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Truckee year-round.
Burning on a no-burn day, without a required permit, or of prohibited materials can result in CAL FIRE citations, NSAQMD civil penalties, and cost-recovery for any escape under H&S 13009 / PRC 4421-4422.
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See how Nevada County's outdoor burning rules stack up against other locations.
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