CAL FIRE will require permits for all burning activities (broadcast, agricultural, and residential pile burning). You will need to apply for a BURN PERMIT using the CAL FIRE online platform. If you’d prefer a paper application, visit your local CAL FIRE station.

There are 3 general categories of burn permits:

• Residential burn permits LE-62A (4 foot x 4 foot piles)
• General burn permits LE-5 (piles larger than 4x4 or agricultural burning)
• Broadcast burn permits LE-7/8 (broadcast or underburning in timber litter/grass)

Residents wishing to burn MUST verify it is a permissive burn day prior to burning by contacting their local air district. If you are broadcast burning, you will need to get a burn permit from the air district as well.

Nevada County Residents: Northern Sierra Air quality Management District 530-274-7928 

Important: If you are located within city limits of Truckee, please contact Truckee Fire Protection District for specific permit requirements.

• Applications may be obtained through their website and residents must adhere to permissible burn days through their local air district.

To find out whether your burning location is located inside Truckee Fire (LRA), Auburn Fire (LRA) or CAL FIRE’s jurisdiction, please reference CAL FIRE’s Burn Permit Responsibility Area Viewer website.

Resources for landowners with great basic information on prescribed burning:

• California Prescribed Burn Association, calpba.org - lots of inspiration and resources here​​!
• Download a simple burn plan that works for most landowners. The PBA can help you develop your map, burn prescription, etc. , or you can work directly with CAL FIRE and do it on your own.
• Download a longer burn plan template that works for more complex burns
• "Liability Explainer": What Happens If Something Goes Wrong During A Burn or Burn Prep
• CAL FIRE webpage where you can learn about and apply for burn permits (pile broadcast/ understory/area burns, oversize burn piles or many piles, biochar kilns)
• Permissible burn day information: Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District (NSAQMD)
• More in-depth information from Oregon State University Extension covering:
  • Prescribed Fire: Why we burn
  • The Ecological Effects of Fire 
  • Fire Behavior 
  • Fuels 
  • Planning a Prescribed Burn 
  • Carrying out and Managing a Prescribed Burn 
  • Fire Weather 
  • Smoke Management 
  • Ignition Techniques and Tools
  • Monitoring and Evaluation