Open Burning
Controlled Burn Guidelines
Please click on the link below for Sonoma County Fire District controlled burn guidelines.
SCFD controlled-burn guidelines.pdf
REGULATIONS
Important New Requirements - Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NSCAPCD) regulations require notification prior to burning.
WHAT AIR DISTRICT IS MY PROPERTY IN?
Click here to see which air pollution district governs your property.
Cal Fire Permit : You will also need to go on to the Cal Fire Website to watch a video to obtain a permit for 4x4 pile burns.
Please see the information below:
- CAL FIRE https://burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/
Two air quality districts establish and enforce burning regulations within Sonoma County Fire District
939 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 749-5000; fax (415) 928-0338
https://www.baaqmd.gov/permits/open-burn
**Please Note** the fee to BAAQMD will NO longer be waived in the BURN SCAR AREA**
150 Matheson Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-5911 Open Burn Permits | NoSoCo Air
PERMITTED BURNING INFORMATION
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
With very rare exceptions, there are two types of permissible open/control burning within the BAAQMD district—hazard reduction and orchard/vineyard attrition—and stringent conditions apply to each, please review guidlines in the BAAQMD documents.
Hazard Reduction
- Only natural vegetation or native growth may be burned
- The amount of material from a single property cleared and burned annually is greater than 5 cubic yards.
BAAQMD does not issue permits but they do require a open burning form to be completed and a fee be paid annually.
**Please Note** the fee to BAAQMD will NO longer be waived in the BURN SCAR AREA**
Property owners/agents who have had hazard reduction permits in the past with the Fire District, are not required to renew their permit every year. They must, however, go to the BAAQMD website to complete a form and pay the fee.
You are also required to go to the CAL FIRE website https://burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/apply-for-a-permit/ and watch a safety video to obtain a 4x4 pile burn permit.
Property owners/agents who have never been issued a hazard reduction permit with us must call , (707) 892-2441 to schedule an inspection that will provide education and safe burning guidlines.
Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution District
The NSCAPCD requires you obtain a permit before burning from their office at:
150 Matheson Street, Healdsburg.
For specifics regarding types of permissive burning, permitting, etc., call their office:
(707) 433-5591. Open Burn Permits | NoSoCo Air
BURN SEASON
Burn season is generally November — April 30, unless a “red flag day” or “burn ban” is implemented.
BEFORE YOU BURN
Once you have made the necessary notification/obtained the required permit, you must determine if it is a permissible burn day.
- BAAQMD (800) 792-0787 or BAAQMD website
- NSCAPCD (707) 565-2876 or Open Burn Permits | NoSoCo Air
You must call and Notify Fire Dispatch (REDCOM) each day you burn!
- REDCOM (707)-565-1700
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Both the BAAQMD and the NSCAPCD determine permissible burn days based on air quality, not on the basis of fire safety. Therefore, it may be “permissible” to burn but not be safe to burn. Sonoma County Fire District has the authority to prohibit burning even on permissible burn days if weather or other conditions make it unsafe to burn.
Things to be aware of: There are significant financial risks if you burn illegally–whether it’s what you’re burning or when–and/or the burn escapes your control. They include the following:
- A fine
- All costs of emergency response to and extinguishment of the fire
- Financial responsibility for the damage to any neighbor’s property
IMPORTANT:
If the burn escapes your control, call 9-1-1 immediately, BEFORE making any effort to extinguish the fire yourself.