Westminster, CA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Westminster, 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
- Conditional ban trigger
- Winds >8 mph, humidity <25%
- Absolute ban trigger
- Sustained winds over 20 mph
- Also triggers ban
- Red flag day or posted notice
- Rubbish burning
- Approved incinerator only, § 305.7
- Enforcing agency
- Orange County Fire Authority
Summary
Westminster's Fire Code bars outdoor wood or solid-fuel fires whenever sustained winds exceed 8 mph with humidity under 25 percent, a red flag warning is declared, or a public burn-ban announcement is posted, and bans any outdoor fire outright once sustained winds top 20 mph, under Section 305.6.
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: rev 4982734; v10 updated 2026-06-10).
Full Breakdown
6, Hazardous conditions, which prohibits outdoor fires burning wood or other solid fuel when predicted sustained winds exceed 8 miles per hour and relative humidity is below 25 percent, or when a red flag condition has been declared, or when the fire code official has caused a sign to be posted or a public announcement made. The section then imposes an absolute cutoff, stating that 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, a bar that reaches gas-fueled and wood-fueled fires alike, not just wood-burning ones.
1; open burning of household trash outside an approved incinerator is not permitted anywhere in the city. 040 revised in the same ordinance, and both were adopted by Ordinance 2629 on November 12, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Lighting or maintaining an outdoor wood fire when sustained winds exceed 8 mph with humidity under 25 percent, during a declared red flag condition, or after the fire code official has posted a ban notice, violates Section 305.6; any outdoor fire of any fuel type in sustained winds over 20 mph is barred outright. Burning rubbish or trash outside an approved incinerator violates Section 305.7. The Orange County Fire Authority enforces both under Section 113.4's fee-schedule penalties, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense, and Section 113.4.2 makes knowingly permitting the hazard to persist after an order a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is open burning banned in Westminster?
Is there a wind speed where all outdoor fires are banned, even gas fire pits?
Can I burn household trash outside in Westminster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westminster
How Westminster compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Westminster 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.