Burn permits and fire pits in Santa Barbara, California
Brush burning is tightly limited: in the city's High Fire Hazard Area no outdoor fire is allowed without a Fire Department permit, and never in high winds or a Red Flag Warning; elsewhere, check with the Fire Department and the County Air Pollution Control District before any burn. Barbecues and outdoor fireplaces are fine for cooking but must be at least 30 feet from grass or brush and can't be used to burn trash or yard waste.
| Outdoor fires in the High Fire Hazard Area | Only by permit from the fire code official [2] |
| Never allowed when | High winds, Red Flag Warning, or no one 17+ tending the fire [2] |
| Smoky or hazardous open burning | Prohibited citywide [1] |
| Barbecues/outdoor fireplaces distance | 30 ft from grass, grain, brush or forested areas [3] |
| Burning trash or yard waste in a fireplace/grill | Prohibited [3] |
| Spark arresters | Required on chimneys within 200 ft of the High Fire Hazard Area (1/4-inch mesh) [5] |
| Air district role | SB County APCD Rule 312 (Open Fires) and Rule 401 [6] |
Citywide limit
Santa Barbara's local fire code amendments prohibit open burning that is offensive or objectionable because of smoke, or when atmospheric or local conditions make a fire hazardous [1].
High Fire Hazard Area
Much of the city's foothill and front-country area is designated High Fire Hazard Area. There, no outdoor fire may be built, lit or kept going except by permit from the fire code official, and never when high winds are blowing, when no one age 17 or over is present to tend it, or when a Red Flag Warning is declared [2].
Barbecues, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces
Permanent and portable barbecues, outdoor fireplaces and grills can't be used to dispose of rubbish, trash or combustible waste. They must be at least 30 feet from grass, grain, brush or forested areas, kept in good repair, and have an approved spark arrester, screen or door on openings [3]. Ashes and coals can't be dumped in the High Fire Hazard Area except in an established fire pit or fireplace hearth, a lidded noncombustible container kept 10 feet from vegetation or structures, or buried under a foot of mineral earth at least 25 feet from vegetation or structures [4]. Chimneys for fireplaces or barbecues within 200 feet of the High Fire Hazard Area need a spark arrester with openings no larger than 1/4 inch [5].
Air district rules
Outdoor burning is also regulated by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, whose rules include Rule 312 (Open Fires) and Rule 401 (Agricultural and Prescribed Burning) [6]. Statewide, burning household trash and using burn barrels is banned.
Code version
These rules come from Ordinance 6094 (2022), the city's local amendments to the 2022 California Fire Code, which carried forward the same rules from the 2019 code. California's 2025 Fire Code took effect January 1, 2026, and the city may have readopted or renumbered its amendments since; confirm current rules with the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau.
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Next steps
- Check the City's fire hazard map to see if your property is in the High Fire Hazard Area.
- For any brush or open burning, call the Santa Barbara City Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau first; a permit is required in the High Fire Hazard Area and burning may not be allowed at all.
- Check the Santa Barbara County APCD burn-day status and Rule 312 before any permitted burn.
- For a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, keep it at least 30 ft from grass or brush and fit openings with a spark arrester or screen.
Common questions
- Do I need a burn permit in Santa Barbara, California?
- In the city's High Fire Hazard Area, no outdoor fire may be built or kept going except by permit from the fire code official, and never in high winds or a Red Flag Warning. Elsewhere, check with the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau and the County Air Pollution Control District before any burn.
- Can I burn brush or yard waste in Santa Barbara, California?
- It's tightly limited. Open burning that is objectionable because of smoke or hazardous conditions is prohibited citywide, and in the High Fire Hazard Area a permit is required and burning may not be allowed at all. Barbecues and outdoor fireplaces can't be used to burn trash or yard waste.
- Are fire pits allowed in Santa Barbara, California?
- Barbecues, grills and outdoor fireplaces are allowed but must be at least 30 feet from grass, grain, brush or forested areas, kept in good repair, and have an approved spark arrester, screen or door on openings. They can't be used to dispose of rubbish or yard waste.
- Can I burn trash in Santa Barbara, California?
- No. Statewide, burning household trash and using burn barrels is banned, and Santa Barbara's fire code bars using barbecues, grills or outdoor fireplaces to dispose of rubbish, trash or combustible waste.
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
- Ord. 6094, SBMC 8.04, amending IFC §307.1.1 Prohibited open burning, Ordinance No. 6094 amending SBMC Ch. 8.04, adopting the 2022 California Fire Code and 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments (2022), p. 6
Opening burning that is offensive or objectionable because of smoke emissions or when atmospheric or local circumstances make such fires hazardous shall be prohibited.
- Ord. 6094, §4912.9 Outdoor Fires, Ordinance No. 6094 amending SBMC Ch. 8.04, adopting the 2022 California Fire Code and 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments (2022), p. 16
Outdoor fires shall not be built, ignited or maintained in or upon, the High Fire Hazard Area, except by permit from the fire code official. Permits shall incorporate such terms and conditions which will reasonably safeguard public safety and property. Outdoor fires shall not be built, ignited or maintained in or upon the High Fire Hazard Area under the following conditions:
- Ord. 6094, §4912.10 Outdoor Fireplaces and Barbeques, Ordinance No. 6094 amending SBMC Ch. 8.04, adopting the 2022 California Fire Code and 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments (2022), p. 16
Permanent barbeques, portable barbeques, outdoor fireplaces or grills shall not be used for the disposal of rubbish, trash, or combustible waste material. Permanent barbeques outdoor fireplaces, portable barbeques and grills shall be a minimum of 30 feet from grass, grain, brush or forested areas, maintained in good repair and in a safe condition at all times.
- Ord. 6094, §4912.12 Disposal Of Ashes, Ordinance No. 6094 amending SBMC Ch. 8.04, adopting the 2022 California Fire Code and 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments (2022), p. 16
Ashes and coals shall not be placed, deposited or dumped in or upon the High Fire Hazard Area.
- Ord. 6094, §4912.3 Spark Arresters, Ordinance No. 6094 amending SBMC Ch. 8.04, adopting the 2022 California Fire Code and 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments (2022), p. 15
Chimneys used in conjunction with fireplaces, barbeques or heating appliances in which solid or liquid fuels is used, upon buildings, structures or premises located within 200 feet of the High Fire Hazard Area, shall be provided with a spark arrestor constructed with heavy wire mesh or other non-combustible material with openings not to exceed 1/4 inch.
- SBCAPCD Open Burning Rules and Regulations, Air Pollution Control District Rules, Santa Barbara County APCD - Open Burning Rules and Regulations, p. 1
Agricultural and Prescribed Burning