Seasonal · 6 min read
Sacramento burn day rules for 2026–27: Check Before You Burn starts 1 November, with $50 fines
Sacramento burn day rules return 1 November: Stage 1 and Stage 2 limits, who is exempt, the $50 fine, how to check today, and our pre-season PM2.5 data.
By the Good Air team
In this article · 8 sections
Sacramento's burn day rules come back on 1 November 2026, when the Sac Metro Air District starts its Check Before You Burn season, which runs to the end of February. On a Stage 2 day, called when fine particle pollution (PM2.5) is forecast to top 35 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), it is illegal to burn wood, pellets or fire logs in any device in Sacramento County, and a first violation costs $50 or a wood smoke awareness exam (Sac Metro Air District, 30 October 2025).
Before the season, the air sits well below that line. Among the 11 government monitors we track around Sacramento, no day from 15 September to 24 October 2026 reached even the 26 µg/m³ at which burning is discouraged. The highest was 19.1 µg/m³, at Bercut Drive on 3 October.
Key facts for the 2026–27 season
- Season: 1 November to the end of February. In March 2026 the district's Check Before You Burn page said the season "will start again on November 1" (Sac Metro Air District, Check Before You Burn, captured 15 March 2026). We found no change announced for 2026–27 by 25 October.
- Where: homes and businesses in all of Sacramento County, including Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento city.
- The rule: Rule 421. The district says wood burning causes more than 50 percent of the county's fine particle pollution in winter.
- Check: airquality.org/CBYB or 1-877-662-8765.
Sacramento burn day stages: what each one means
The district sets one of four statuses for today and tomorrow from its PM2.5 forecast. The thresholds below come from its 2025–26 guide (Sac Metro Air District, Check Before You Burn FAQ, 2025–26 season).
| Status | Forecast PM2.5 (µg/m³) | About this on the US AQI | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal to Burn | Below 26 | Up to about 82 | No restrictions. Burn cleanly. |
| Burning Discouraged | 26 to 31 | About 82 to 92 | Voluntary. The district asks you not to burn. |
| Stage 1: No Burn Unless Exempt | 32 to 35 | About 94 to 99 | Illegal to burn, except in an EPA-certified insert or stove, or a pellet stove, that gives off no visible smoke |
| Stage 2: All Burning Prohibited | Above 35 | About 100 and up | Illegal to burn any solid fuel in any device |
The US AQI column is our conversion with EPA's 2024 PM2.5 breakpoints: Moderate runs from 9.1 to 35.4 µg/m³, and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups starts at 35.5 (EPA, February 2024). The district does the same: on 10 December 2025 it called Burning Discouraged with a forecast of "82 AQI - MODERATE" (Sac Metro Air District on X, 10 December 2025). So Stage 2 starts close to where the US AQI turns orange.
On a no-burn day the ban covers wood, pellets, fire logs and any other solid fuel, in an indoor or outdoor fireplace, stove, fire pit or chiminea. To check whether your stove is EPA-certified, the district points to EPA's Burnwise database.
Who is exempt from a Sacramento no-burn day?
These exemptions apply on both Stage 1 and Stage 2 days (Check Before You Burn FAQ, 2025–26):
- Homes where wood is the only heat, with an approved exemption, or a temporary one while a broken heater is repaired.
- Financial hardship, with a waiver renewed every year. The district starts from California's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) income guidelines.
- Gas and propane devices that burn nothing else.
- Cooking devices.
An exemption counts only once approved. Apply online or by post; questions go to 279-207-1122 ext. 11 or [email protected] (Sac Metro Air District, Check Before You Burn, captured 15 March 2026).
Fines and how the rule is enforced
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| First | Notice of Penalty: $50, or take and pass a wood smoke awareness exam instead |
| Second and later | Notice of Violation, with fines set under the district's Mutual Settlement Program |
Inspectors look for visible smoke and respond to complaints, usually photographing the smoke and mailing the notice. "No one will come to your door," the district says (Check Before You Burn FAQ, 2025–26). FOX40 reported the same $50 fine (FOX40 via Yahoo News, 30 October 2025).
To report smoke on a day when burning is banned, file a complaint at airquality.org or call 279-207-1122 ext. 11.
How to check if today is a burn day in Sacramento
- Online: airquality.org/CBYB.
- Phone: 1-877-NO-BURN-5 (1-877-662-8765).
- Social media: @AQMD on X and Sac Metro Air District on Facebook, for example "Burning Discouraged" on 20 January 2026 and "Legal to Burn" on 21 January (Sac Metro Air District on X, 20 January 2026).
How many no-burn days were there last winter? The district tallies them on its Check Before You Burn history page, which we could not load on 25 October 2026, so we leave the 2025–26 count out. Check that page or call 1-800-880-9025.
Our Sacramento page shows the live US AQI from EPA AirNow and the district's forecast for tomorrow. On 24 October that forecast was Good ozone (AQI 36 to 41) through 29 October, with calm winds letting pollutants build up over the weekend. A forecast is not a burn status.
Roseville, Davis and Vacaville: different districts
Rule 421 covers Sacramento County only. Neighbours have their own air districts:
- Yolo and north-east Solano (Davis, Woodland, Vacaville, Dixon): the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District runs "Don't Light Tonight" from 1 November to the end of February. When it forecasts particle pollution above 78 on the AQI, it asks residents not to use fireplaces or wood stoves. Check (530) 757-3787 or EnviroFlash alerts. The City of Davis also enforces its own nuisance burning rules (Yolo-Solano AQMD, Don't Light Tonight, viewed 25 October 2026).
- Placer County (Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn): we found no winter fireplace curtailment on the Placer County Air Pollution Control District's burning pages, which deal with outdoor burning such as burn piles (Placer County APCD, Burning, viewed 25 October 2026). Check with the district on 530-745-2330.
The Sacramento district says similar laws exist in the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley: see Spare the Air winter 2026–27 and why Fresno's air is so bad.
Sacramento air before the season: what our data shows
From 15 September to 24 October 2026, the six Sacramento County monitors in our archive averaged 7.1 µg/m³ of PM2.5. The median US monitor, among 1,259, averaged 5.4. North Sacramento was highest:
| Monitor (AirNow name) | County | PM2.5, 15 Sep–24 Oct (µg/m³) | Days above 9.0 (Moderate) | Highest day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arden Arcade - Del Paso Manor | Sacramento | 8.9 | 18 of 36 | 15.0 (3 Oct) |
| Bercut Dr | Sacramento | 8.8 | 16 of 36 | 19.1 (3 Oct) |
| Davis - UCD Campus | Yolo | 7.7 | 8 of 40 | 11.8 (21 Oct) |
| Roseville - N.Sunrise/Douglas | Placer | 7.1 | 5 of 37 | 9.9 (16 Sep) |
| Elk Grove | Sacramento | 7.0 | 7 of 35 | 13.5 (1 Oct) |
| Downtown Sacramento - T Street | Sacramento | 6.8 | 9 of 40 | 13.5 (3 Oct) |
| Lincoln | Placer | 6.7 | 3 of 40 | 10.6 (3 Oct) |
| Sloughhouse | Sacramento | 6.2 | 2 of 39 | 10.4 (22 Oct) |
| Auburn | Placer | 5.2 | 0 of 40 | 7.7 (25 Sep) |
| Folsom | Sacramento | 5.1 | 0 of 39 | 7.9 (3 Oct) |
| Vacaville | Solano | 4.3 | 0 of 40 | 7.3 (18 Oct) |
- Nothing near a burn ban. Across 422 monitor-days, none reached 26 µg/m³. The highest, 19.1, was just over half the Stage 2 line of 35.
- 3 October was the worst day. Five of the 11 monitors peaked that day; their average hit 10.7. It reached 9.1 again on 21 October.
- Moderate already, in places. Arden Arcade was above EPA's 9.0 Good-to-Moderate line on 18 of 36 days, Bercut Drive on 16. Folsom, Auburn and Vacaville never were.
- City AQI rose in October. Sacramento's US AQI averaged 41.1 in late September (above 50 on 2 of 16 days) and 56.7 from 1 to 24 October (18 of 24 days), peaking at 77 on 3 October. It covers ozone as well as particles, so it is not a wood smoke measure.
For the rest of the state, see California air quality and California weather alerts; for other cities, US air quality.
How we measured
- Data. EPA AirNow monitor PM2.5 and AirNow's hourly US AQI for Sacramento, collected by Good Air.
- Monitors. The 11 PM2.5 monitors in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and Solano counties with 35 to 40 valid days. We left out Woodland, which reported PM2.5 on only 12 of 40 days. The Sacramento County figure is the mean of six monitor averages.
- Daily values. The mean of each day's hourly readings, counted only with at least 12 hours. Days are in UTC, starting at 5 pm Pacific time the day before, so they are not official daily values. For 23 October, AirNow's official Sacramento AQI was 35 (ozone); our hourly mean was 48.
- US median. The median of 1,259 US monitors with at least 34 valid days.
Frequently asked questions
Is today a burn day in Sacramento?
Check airquality.org/CBYB, call 1-877-NO-BURN-5 (1-877-662-8765) or see the Sac Metro Air District's posts on X (@AQMD) and Facebook. The district gives the status for today and tomorrow from 1 November to the end of February. Outside that season there are no Check Before You Burn restrictions on fireplaces and wood stoves in Sacramento County.
When does Check Before You Burn start in Sacramento in 2026?
The Sac Metro Air District's Check Before You Burn season starts on 1 November and runs through the end of February. In March 2026 the district said the season would start again on 1 November. Burning is restricted only on days the district calls Stage 1 or Stage 2, not for the whole season.
What is the fine for burning on a no-burn day in Sacramento County?
A first violation of Rule 421 brings a Notice of Penalty with a $50 fine, or you can take and pass a wood smoke awareness exam instead. Repeat violators get a Notice of Violation, with fines set under the district's Mutual Settlement Program. Notices are mailed after inspectors photograph visible smoke.
Can I use my EPA-certified wood stove or pellet stove on a no-burn day?
On a Stage 1 day, yes, if it is an EPA-certified insert or stove, or a pellet stove, and it gives off no visible smoke. On a Stage 2 day, no: all solid fuel burning is banned in any device. Gas and propane fireplaces are allowed on both, as are cooking devices and homes with an approved exemption.
Do Sacramento's burn rules apply in Roseville or Davis?
No. Rule 421 covers Sacramento County only, including Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova. Davis is under the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, which asks residents not to burn on "Don't Light Tonight" days. Roseville is in Placer County, under the Placer County Air Pollution Control District.
