California fire restrictions are the rules, issued under state law and by agencies like CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service, that limit campfires, equipment use, fireworks, and vegetation around buildings when wildfire conditions are elevated. They apply on state responsibility areas, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management land, and they tighten as conditions worsen through declared fire season, Stage I and Stage II restrictions, and Red Flag Warnings. Break them and you face misdemeanor charges, federal penalties on federal land, and civil liability for the full cost of suppressing any fire you start.
What’s Prohibited or Restricted
Once fire season is declared, recreational campfires and charcoal grills are generally banned outside developed campground sites with built-in fire rings. Smoking is prohibited in wildland areas where flammable debris covers the ground. The exact rules vary between CAL FIRE, the Forest Service, and BLM, so the land you’re on matters.
Lawn mowers and string trimmers cause more fires than people expect. Metal blades striking rocks throw sparks into dry grass, and a fire can start within seconds. CAL FIRE recommends mowing only before 10 a.m. and warns against ever using a lawn mower on dry weeds or grass. Mow maintained lawns only.1Ready for Wildfire. Equipment and Vehicle Use
Welding, grinding, and torch cutting in wildland areas are frequently suspended or restricted during high-risk periods. When hot work is allowed, operators must maintain cleared areas around the work site and keep firefighting tools and water immediately accessible.
Fireworks are heavily restricted. California bans all fireworks except those labeled “Safe and Sane,” which carry a specific state seal. Anything without that seal is illegal to possess, sell, or use. Licensed retailers can sell Safe and Sane fireworks only from noon on June 28 through noon on July 6.2California Legislative Information. California Code, Health and Safety Code HSC 12599 Many cities and counties ban all fireworks entirely by local ordinance, so the state window doesn’t mean your city allows them. Possessing dangerous, non–Safe and Sane fireworks under Health and Safety Code 12700 ranges from a misdemeanor with up to a year in county jail for small quantities to felony charges with state prison time and fines up to $50,000 for large stockpiles.
Flying a drone near an active wildfire is separately illegal under federal law. When a drone enters the airspace, fire agencies must ground all aircraft until it clears, sometimes for hours. The FAA can impose civil penalties of up to $20,000 against a drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, and interfering with firefighting on public lands is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison. These penalties apply whether or not a Temporary Flight Restriction has been posted.3Federal Aviation Administration. Drones and Wildfires Toolkit
Equipment and Spark Arrester Rules
Public Resources Code 4442 prohibits operating any gas-powered engine on forest-covered, brush-covered, or grass-covered land without a working spark arrester. The device must be made of nonflammable material and catch carbon particles larger than 0.0232 inches before they leave the exhaust. It also cannot be mounted in a position that would let exhaust heat or flame ignite nearby vegetation.4California Legislative Information. California Code Public Resources Code 4442
Some engines are exempt. Trucks, buses, and passenger vehicles other than motorcycles don’t need a spark arrester if the exhaust system has a standard muffler. Turbocharged engines are exempt as long as all exhaust passes through the turbine wheel with no atmospheric bypass. Motor vehicles in organized racing events on closed courses with proper permits are also excluded.4California Legislative Information. California Code Public Resources Code 4442
This rule matters more than most people realize. Chainsaws, generators, dirt bikes, ATVs, and portable pumps all fall under it once you’re on covered land.
Stage I, Stage II, and Red Flag Warnings
CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service escalate restrictions in stages as conditions worsen. Stage I typically limits campfires and charcoal to designated recreation sites with fire rings, bans smoking outside enclosed vehicles or buildings, and restricts chainsaw use to certain hours with required firefighting tools on hand. Stage II goes further and often eliminates open-flame exceptions entirely: no campfires even in developed sites, no stove fires that aren’t fueled by pressurized liquid or gas, and motorized travel restricted to paved roads.
Public Resources Code 4423.1 gives the CAL FIRE director or designee, county fire wardens with the director’s approval, and federal land managers authority to suspend burning permits by proclamation whenever conditions demand it.5California Legislative Information. California Code, Public Resources Code PRC 4423.1 – Burning Permits A valid campfire permit does not override a suspension.
The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings when weather aligns to create extreme fire behavior. General criteria include sustained winds of 15 mph or greater, relative humidity at or below 25 percent, and temperatures above 75°F, though local NWS forecast offices set specific thresholds.6NOAA’s National Weather Service. Glossary – Red Flag Warning During a Red Flag Warning, even a small ignition source can produce a fast-moving wildfire, and land agencies restrict access accordingly.
Defensible Space Around Your Home
If you own or occupy a building in a state responsibility area, Public Resources Code 4291 requires you to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around every structure on your property, up to the property line. The law splits that space into zones of increasing vegetation management intensity as you approach the building.7California Legislative Information. PRC 4291
The ember-resistant zone is within 5 feet of the structure, including any attached deck. In that zone, you must eliminate materials that embers could ignite. Between 5 and 30 feet, the law calls for aggressive thinning and spacing of vegetation. From 30 to 100 feet, you still need to manage fuels so a wildfire would be unlikely to reach the structure, though the standard is somewhat less strict.7California Legislative Information. PRC 4291
Beyond the zones, PRC 4291 also requires you to:
- Remove tree branches within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet.
- Keep trees and shrubs adjacent to or overhanging structures free of dead or dying branches.
- Clear leaves, needles, and other plant debris from the roof.
These requirements are enforceable law, and noncompliance can bring fines. They also do the practical work of protecting the structure when a fire comes through.
Getting a Campfire Permit
You need a California Campfire Permit before building a fire on lands managed by CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, or the Bureau of Land Management. The permit is free at PreventWildfireCA.org.8Ready for Wildfire. Permits
The application asks for your name, mailing address, email, and the location where you plan to have a fire, plus the start and end dates of your trip.9Prevent Wild Fire. Campfire Permit The system generates a PDF you can print or save on your phone. You must have the permit physically available at the fire site, and rangers and law enforcement can ask to see it. Failing to produce a valid permit can result in an order to extinguish your fire immediately. And again, a valid permit does not authorize a fire when restrictions under PRC 4423.1 have suspended burning.
Penalties and Cost Recovery
Under PRC 4435, if a fire starts from equipment you’re using and escapes the area where it originated, that is presumptive evidence of negligence. If your negligence is identified as the cause, you are guilty of a misdemeanor.10California Legislative Information. California Code Public Resources Code 4435 Misdemeanors in California carry up to six months in county jail plus fines that depend on the offense and any resulting damage. More serious fire-related crimes such as arson or recklessly burning an inhabited structure are charged under the Penal Code and can be prosecuted as felonies with state prison time.
Federal land adds another layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1856, kindling a fire on federal land and letting it burn unattended, escape your control, or spread can bring up to six months in federal prison and additional fines.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1856 – Fires Left Unattended and Unextinguished
The criminal side is often the smaller number. CAL FIRE actively pursues civil cost recovery against people determined to have started a fire. You can be held liable for the total suppression costs of every responding agency: helicopter time, bulldozer crews, firefighter overtime, and equipment damage. Costs routinely reach hundreds of thousands of dollars for a moderate fire and millions for a major incident, and property owners affected by the fire can sue separately. Restitution obligations from a wildfire can follow a person for years.