Burn permits and fire pits in Manhattan Beach, California
Burning brush, yard waste or trash at your home isn't allowed: South Coast AQMD Rule 444 prohibits residential burning. Recreational fires and cooking or warming fires using natural gas, propane, untreated wood or charcoal are exempt from the air district's open-burning permit rules, but the city's fire code still applies.
| Burning household or yard waste at home | Prohibited (residential burning) [2] |
| Recreational and ceremonial fires | Exempt from Rule 444 permit requirements [4] |
| Cooking and warming fires | Natural gas, propane, untreated wood or charcoal [4] |
| Other open burning | Needs a burn day plus a written permit [3] |
| City fire code | 2022 California Fire Code, as amended by the city (in our Aug 2024 copy of the code) [6] |
Brush and yard waste
In Manhattan Beach, open burning is regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Its Rule 444 defines "residential burning" as open burning to dispose of combustible or flammable solid waste from a residence on its premises [1], and flatly prohibits it [2]. That rules out burning brush piles, leaves, yard trimmings or trash at home. Use green-waste collection or haul it away instead.
The narrow categories of open burning the air district can authorize, such as agricultural burning, prescribed burning or abating a fire hazard that a fire agency says can't be removed any other way, require a declared permissive or marginal burn day and a written permit from the air district or fire agency [3]. None of these apply to a typical city lot.
Fire pits and backyard fires
Rule 444's permit requirements don't apply to recreational or ceremonial fires, or to burning natural gas, propane, untreated wood or charcoal to cook food or keep warm at a social gathering [4]. So a backyard fire pit, chiminea or barbecue isn't banned by the air district. Wood-burning on winter no-burn days is covered by a separate air district rule (Rule 445) that we didn't review.
Beach fires
Beach burning (recreational fires on public sandy beaches) is prohibited unless air quality is good and the fire rings meet distance or spacing standards [5]. Charcoal and gas fuel aren't counted as beach burning.
City fire code
In our copy of the municipal code (current through August 2024), Manhattan Beach adopts the 2022 California Fire Code with local amendments, enforced by the Fire Department's Fire Prevention office [6]. The city may since have adopted the newer 2025 edition. The adopted code's open-burning and recreational-fire sections (Chapter 3) were incorporated by reference, but their text wasn't in the sources we reviewed, and the city's amendments we reviewed don't add a local fire-pit rule. Ask the Fire Department about clearances and any restrictions before using a wood-burning fire pit.
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Next steps
- Don't burn yard waste or trash; use the city's green-waste and trash collection.
- For a wood-burning fire pit, ask Manhattan Beach Fire Prevention about clearance and supervision rules in the adopted Fire Code; consider gas or propane units.
- Check South Coast AQMD's daily burn forecast before burning wood in a fire pit or fireplace during November through February.
Common questions
- Can I burn yard waste or brush in Manhattan Beach, California?
- No. South Coast AQMD Rule 444 prohibits residential burning.
- Can I have a fire pit in Manhattan Beach, California?
- Recreational fires and cooking or warming fires using natural gas, propane, untreated wood or charcoal are exempt from the air district's open-burning permit rules, but the city's fire code still applies.
- Do I need a permit for other open burning in Manhattan Beach, California?
- Other open burning needs a burn day plus a written permit.
California rules on outdoor burning and fire pits
Outdoor burning is controlled mainly by your regional air district and CAL FIRE or your local fire agency, and city codes add more limits.
Statewide rules:
- No trash burning: since January 1, 2004, a California Air Resources Board rule has banned burning household garbage outdoors at homes, and burn barrels can't be used, even for vegetation. Dry vegetation grown on the property may be burned in open piles unless local rules prohibit it, on days the air district allows.
- Fire permits in wildland areas: in state responsibility areas and other areas CAL FIRE protects, burning brush or other vegetation needs a written permit during fire season, and at any time in some zones (Pub. Res. Code §4423).
- Cooking and recreational fires are not covered by the state open-burning ban (Health & Safety Code §41806). Air districts can still restrict them.
Examples of air district rules (check yours):
- Bay Area Air District: open burning is prohibited unless a specific exemption applies (Regulation 5). Recreational fires are allowed except during a Mandatory Burn Ban. During a Spare the Air Alert, it's illegal to burn wood in fireplaces, wood stoves or outdoor fire pits (Regulation 6, Rule 3).
- South Coast AQMD: residential burning (burning a home's combustible waste on site) is banned (Rule 444). From November through February, declared No-Burn days bar indoor and outdoor wood-burning devices, including fire pits and chimineas (Rule 445), with some exemptions.
Other districts have their own burn-day systems; check yours and your city fire code.
What the ordinance says
- SCAQMD Rule 444(c)(28), South Coast AQMD Rule 444 - Open Burning, p. 6
RESIDENTIAL BURNING means open burning for the purposes of disposing of combustible or flammable solid waste, excluding Russian thistle, from a specific residence on its premises.
- SCAQMD Rule 444(d)(3)(A), South Coast AQMD Rule 444 - Open Burning, p. 9
(3) A person is prohibited from open burning for: (A) Residential burning
- SCAQMD Rule 444(d)(1), South Coast AQMD Rule 444 - Open Burning, p. 7
(1) A person shall not conduct or allow open burning unless all of the following are met: (A) The Executive Officer has declared the day a permissive burn day or a marginal burn day on which burning is permitted in the applicable source/receptor area and such burning is not prohibited by the applicable public fire protection agency.
- SCAQMD Rule 444(d)(6), South Coast AQMD Rule 444 - Open Burning, p. 15
(6) Except for the requirements of subparagraph (d)(3) and (d)(4), the provisions of this rule shall not apply to: (A) Recreational fires or ceremonial fires, including fires conducted pursuant to United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8. (B) Open burning of natural gas, propane, untreated wood, or charcoal for the purpose of: (i) Preparation or warming of food for human consumption; or (ii) Generating warmth at a social gathering.
- SCAQMD Rule 444(c)(7), South Coast AQMD Rule 444 - Open Burning, p. 3
(7) BEACH BURNING means any recreational, ceremonial or open burning conducted in any public coastal area marked by an accumulation of sand. For the purposes of this rule, beach burning does not include the use of charcoal or gaseous or liquid fuel.
- Sec. 3.16.010, Municipal Code Ch. 3.16 Fire Prevention (3.16.020 Fire Code amendments)
the rules, regulations, provisions, standards, and conditions set forth in that certain Code known as the 2022 Edition of the California Fire Code published by the International Code Council and the California Building Standards Commission with errata