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Open Burning Information

How to Burn:

Fill out and submit your Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Regulation 5: Open Burning Notification forms via one of the following methods:

  • Online Form
  • Email: openburn@baaqmd.gov
  • US Mail:     BAAQMD
                        ATTN: Mail Stop OB2
                        375 Beal Street, Suite 600
                        San Francisco, CA 94105

See the compliance advisory for more details. For further assistance, please contact the Air District's Open Burn General Help Line at: (415) 749-4600
 

On the Planned Burn Day:

  • Call the BAAQMD 24-Hour Burn Status Hotline at: (800) 792-0787 to determine if it is a BURN day.
  • You must call our dispatch, REDCOM Burn Line at: (707) 565-1700 each day you plan to burn.

For properties falling in State Responsibility Area (SRA):

 

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:

                Click on the link below to watch the safety video to obtain a permit for 4x4 pile burns.

 

WHAT AIR DISTRICT IS MY PROPERTY IN?

Click here to see what air pollution district governs your area:

Open Burning Information:

The Air District regulates open burning because of its impact on air quality. Most open burning is illegal in the Bay Area, but some limited types of open burning fires are allowed, primarily for agricultural or natural resource management purposes.

Open burning is only allowed when weather conditions are favorable for smoke dispersion and air pollution levels are not expected to be high. Many types of open burning can only take place during specified periods throughout the year.

The Air District designates each day of the year as either a BURN or a NO BURN day based on air quality forecasts. Allowable fires may only be set during their established burn season on a designated BURN day. Under Air District policy, permissive BURN days will not be declared when a Spare the Air Alert is in effect. View the Open Burn Status web page.

BURN SEASON

Burn season is generally November — April 30, unless a “red flag day” or “burn ban” is implemented.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The BAAQMD  determines 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. The Rancho Adobe 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.