The entirety of the Sonoma Valley Fire Distrcit is located in the Bay Area Air Quality Management Distrcit (BAAQMD) for areas outside of the fire district (see map) we suggest you obtain information that is specific to your location. 

*Note - Open Burning is not allowed in the City limits of Sonoma 

Step 1 - Build the Pile 

1. Allow cut vegetation to cure, ideally more than 60 days. Cured vegetation ignites easier, creates less smoke, and burns quicker.
2. Burning during or after rain reduces the size of the flames and the risk of an “escape” (fire that spreads beyond the pile). To keep your pile dry, consider covering a portion of the pile with wax paper. You can also use a tarp or piece of plastic instead of wax paper, but it must be removed before burning. 
3. The legal residential burn pile size is 4 feet diameter and 4 feet tall. You can add to the pile as it burns.
4. Place your piles at least 15 feet from any structures.
5. Build piles on the flattest ground possible. If you must build on a hill, dig a “roll out” trench just below it, so that hot coals or logs will be caught before rolling downhill.
6. Place the largest logs on the bottom, with sticks, leaves and small logs in the center to create an area that will easily ignite, and medium-sized logs and branches on the top.
7. Clear dead and dry vegetation, including grass, around the pile.
8. Place your piles away from the base of trees you don’t want damaged by the pile. As heat rises, branches directly above the pile may sustain heat damage and moss or dead branches could ignite. Consider removing branches above the pile or place the pile in a different location.
9. Do not add non-vegetative materials to your pile such as trash or treated wood. 

Step 2 - Get Air Quality Permit (Open Burning Notification) 

An air quality permit is required year-round for all types of burning except campfires. Obtain your air quality permit at the Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts  website. 

• The BAAQD may require approval from your local Fire Authority  - To obtain this approval from the Sonoma Valley Fire Distrcit - CLICK HERE

Step 3 - Get Burn Permit

1. A CAL FIRE Burn Permit is only needed in State Responsibility Area (SRA). Determine if you are in SRA or Local Responsibility Area (LRA) by using the State Responsibility Area Viewer site.  SRA is generally the mountainous terrain and not the valley floors. An air quality permit serves as a burn permit in LRA.
2. CAL FIRE burn permits are only required between May 1 and the end of declared fire season (usually November or December). 
3. Apply for a CAL FIRE Burn Permit at the CAL FIRE Burn Permit website. 
4. CAL FIRE usually issues a “burn permit suspension” which may also be referred to as a “burn ban” during the summer and fall of each year. The County of Sonoma also issues a similar suspension for LRA. These two burn permit suspensions prohibit most types of burning by not allowing permits to be issued and suspending permits that have been issued.

Step 4 - Checklist for Burn Day

1. Confirm it is a permissive burn day with the BAAQMD - LINK - To determine if it's a burn day, call 1-800-792-0787
2. Notify the Redwood Empire Dispatch Communications Authority (REDCOM) prior to burning at (707) 565-1700.
3. Follow all instructions on your air quality permit including required notifications.
4. Follow all instructions on your CAL FIRE burn permit (if applicable).
5. Be prepared to cancel or extinguish your burn if it is not a permissible day or if the weather, especially winds, change suddenly. Never burn if weather conditions are unsafe. Ideal conditions are when weather is cool, damp, not windy, and surrounding vegetation is moist to the touch.
6. Wear appropriate clothing, such as leather work boots, cotton pants, long sleeve natural fiber shirt, leather gloves and eye protection. Avoid synthetic materials that may melt and cause injuries.
7. Monitor your smoke and consider not burning if your smoke is not dispersing.
8. Have a water source and shovel.
9. Maintain attendance. 

Step 5 - Extinguish Burn Pile

1. Let the pile burn down to ash or coal. Move smoldering logs and coal toward the center with a metal rake or a shovel to speed up the burn-down process.
2. Fully extinguish the burn pile if warm or windy conditions are forecasted. Douse the pile with water while stirring with a shovel. It may take between 50 to 100 gallons of water, but aggressive stirring significantly reduces the total amount of water needed. If you have partially burned logs, scrape the burning material from the log with a shovel or other hand tool. You can chop up, scrape and mix the burning material with water or dirt. Covering hot logs with wet dirt is a great way to increase the effectiveness of water. The pile is fully extinguished when the ashes and coals at the bottom of the pile are completely cold to the touch of your ungloved hand.
3. Check the burn area once on the night of the burn day and the following day, as needed, preferably before the hottest part of the day.
4. If you are unable to check, ask a neighbor or hire help to check.
5. Perform extra patrols including during the night during windy or dry conditions.

Additional Information

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

With very rare exceptions, there are two types of permissible open/control burning within the BAAQMD district—hazardous material fires and orchard/vineyard attrition fires—and stringent conditions apply to each, please review guidlines in the BAAQMD documents.

Hazardous Material (BAAQD Regulation 5 401.6) 

• 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.

Hazardous Material: Any combustible or flammable material which may pose a fire or explosion hazard including but not limited to, natural vegetation or other native growth cleared away to create or maintain a firebreak around any building or structure on a property as required to comply with Section 4291 of the State Public Resources Code to reduce the risk of a wildfire.

BAAQMD does not issue permits but they do require a open burning form to be completed and a fee be paid annually.

The BAAQD may require approval from your local Fire Authority. To obtain this approval from the Sonoma Valley Fire Distrcit - CLICK HERE

CALFIRE BURN PERMITS:

Effective Friday, Nov. 1 2024 at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension will be lifted. 

Effective Friday, Nov. 1 at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension in the counties of Colusa, Lake,  Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo will be lifted. CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Matt Ryan is formally cancelling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can now resume burning on permissible burn days. Agriculture burns must be inspected by CAL FIRE  prior to burning until the end of the peak fire season. Inspections may be required for burns other than  agriculture burns. This can be verified by contacting your local Air Quality Management District. 
 
Cooler temperatures, higher humidity’s and the chance of winter weather have helped to begin to diminish the threat of wildfire. Property owners and residents are asked to use caution while conducting debris or  agriculture burns, follow all guidelines provided and maintain control of the fire at all times. Individuals can be held civilly and/or criminally liable for allowing a fire to escape their control and/or burn onto neighboring property. 
 
Residents wishing to burn MUST verify it is a permissive burn day prior to burning. Contact your local Air  Quality Management District to ensure it is a permissive burn day. 

• Bay Area Air Quality Management District for southern Sonoma and Napa counties: 1-877-466-2876 
 
Pile Burning Requirements 
• Only dry, natural vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles and tree trimmings may be burned. 
• The burning of trash, painted wood or other debris is not allowed. 
• Do NOT burn on windy days. 
• Piles should be no larger than four feet in diameter and in height. You can add to pile as it burns down. 
• Clear a 10-foot diameter down to bare soil around your piles. 
• Have a shovel and a water source nearby. 
• An adult is required to be in attendance of the fire at all times. 
 
Safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards. State,  Federal and Local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to  conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health and resiliency on private and public lands.   
 

General Rules and Conditions in the Sonoma Valley Fire District

Follow all rules and requirements on your issued BAAQ / and or Cal-Fire Burn Permit 

The SVFD as the local fire agency is not currently issuing separate burn permits. 

1. AIR QUALITY NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT: Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) regulations requires notification prior to burning on the BAAQMD Regulation 5 Notification Form. The Air District will no longer accept any FAX notifications effective November 15, 2021. You may submit your Open Burning Notifications via the online link, email, or U.S. mail. (postmarked at least 5 days prior to burning), or as an email attachment. Verbal notification is not acceptable. 

2. Once notification to the BAAQMD has been made, burn only on permissive burn days when weather conditions make it safe to do so. 

• To determine if it's a burn day, call 1-800-792-0787, or subscribe to the Open Burn Status (RSS) feed http://www.baaqmd.gov/Feeds/OpenBurnRSS.aspx. Sonoma County is in the Northern Zone of the BAAQMD. 
• Notify the Redwood Empire Dispatch Communications Authority (REDCOM) prior to burning at (707) 565-1700.

3. No burning is allowed before 10:00 a.m., and you may not add to the fire 2 hours before sunset. All burn piles must be managed to ensure that smoke is not produced after sunset. This means that allowing material such as stumps and tree trunks to smolder after sunset is not prohibited. 

4. Burn only acceptable materials: 

• You may burn only the byproducts of your agricultural business, e.g. dry prunings, vines, etc. You may not burn residential yard waste such as landscape debris, garden trimmings, leaves, grass, lumber, pressure treated wood, stakes, trash, or plastics, etc.
• Materials must be dry and arranged to promote rapid combustion. 
• The burning of treated or painted wood, household garbage, plastics, shop waste, wood waste, demolition debris, oil filters, tires, or tar paper is strictly prohibited.
• Please insure an adequate water supply is nearby that can extinguish the fire if necessary as noted under the General Safety Guidelines.

GENERAL SAFETY PRACTICES 

• Have shovels and other tools nearby. 

• This permit is valid only on days which are determined “permissive burn days” by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 41855 and have no fire restriction. 

• You may only conduct the burn on a “permissive” burn day. Call the Burn Status Hotline at 1-800- 792-0787 to obtain this information. 

• Open burning will only be conducted during the hours established by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

• An adult must be in attendance at all times to prevent the spread of fire or the creation of hazardous conditions. 

• All fires must be conducted only on the premises of the owner or lessee provided, however, that the term “premises” does not include the area within the right-of-way of any street. 

• No fires will be conducted on any public or private street or within the right-of-way of a public or private street. 

• An adequate water supply capable of controlling and extinguishing the fire shall be provided at the burning site. An adequate water supply can include a garden hose connected to a water supply, portable fire extinguisher (2A-10BC), or a minimum of 5 gallons of water in a container. 

• Burning shall be done when weather conditions do not create an unsafe burning condition. 

• If the smoke is affecting your neighbor or creating an unsafe condition, open burning shall be suspended until such time that conditions are more favorable to open burning. 

• Maximum burn pile size per by BAAQMD (see Regulation 5: Open Burn, General Open Burn Information). 

• An area within 10 feet of the outer edge of the pile shall be maintained free and clear of flammable material and vegetation. Keep fire a minimum of 50 feet from combustibles, property lines, structures, overhead wires, vehicles, etc. 

• Only dry, natural, vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles, and tree trimmings that originated on the property may be burned. 

• Burning household garbage is NOT allowed. 

• NEVER burn on windy days.