Campfires
Campfires and fire restrictions
A quick path for checking campfire permits, local fire restrictions, forest orders, and park rules before lighting anything.
Why it matters
In California, the answer can change by land manager, county, season, weather, elevation, campground, and fire order. A green-looking campsite is not permission to build a fire.
Directory shelf
Outdoors
Parks, passes, campfires, fishing, tide pools, and trip checks.
First moves
- 1
Name the exact place first: state park, national forest, BLM land, city park, county park, private campground, beach, or backyard.
- 2
Check the land manager's current fire order or alert page for that exact place.
- 3
If a California campfire permit is required for the kind of fire or stove you plan to use, use the official permit path.
- 4
Check whether fires are only allowed in developed rings, only with gas stoves, or not at all.
- 5
Before you leave home, check smoke, wind, red flag warnings, road closures, and local emergency alerts.
Watch for
- 1
One nearby campground can allow fires while another does not.
- 2
A campfire permit does not override a fire ban, forest order, park rule, local rule, or common-sense unsafe conditions.
- 3
Charcoal, wood, gas, backpacking stoves, fire rings, beach fires, and backyard burns can be treated differently.
- 4
National forests, BLM land, state parks, counties, cities, and private campgrounds can use different rules.
- 5
If the official page is unclear, call the ranger station or local fire office before lighting anything.
Go deeper
Fire restrictions and campfires
How to check campfire permits, forest and BLM fire restrictions, local bans, stoves, charcoal, fireworks, target shooting, and red-flag weather.
Outdoor weather and hazard checks
A last-check guide for weather, smoke, fire, heat, surf, rivers, snow, roads, earthquakes, and the live sources to trust before you leave.