Ojai Burn Bans Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Ojai is located in western Ventura County within the Ojai Valley, surrounded on three sides by the Los Padres National Forest and Ventura River watershed. The city falls under the air quality jurisdiction of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) — not the South Coast AQMD, which covers portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. The VCAPCD issues mandatory No-Burn curtailment orders during winter months when atmospheric conditions trap particulate matter in the valley. On declared No-Burn days, residents may not operate wood-burning fireplaces, traditional wood stoves, or any solid-fuel-burning device. The Ojai Valley's geography as a narrow east-west valley surrounded by steep terrain makes it particularly susceptible to temperature inversions that trap smoke and degrade air quality rapidly.

The catastrophic 2017 Thomas Fire burned over 280,000 acres across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and forced the evacuation of much of the Ojai Valley. In the aftermath, fire prevention regulations have been enforced with heightened vigilance. CAL FIRE designates the Ojai area as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), which triggers enhanced defensible space requirements, building construction standards, and fire access road maintenance. Open burning of yard waste, brush, agricultural debris, and any other materials is prohibited year-round within Ojai city limits under both VCAPCD Rule 56 and Ventura County Fire Department regulations. Residents must use chipping programs, green waste collection, or licensed haulers for vegetation disposal.

During Red Flag Warning conditions declared by the National Weather Service — which are common during Santa Ana wind events in the Ojai Valley — the Ventura County Fire Department may impose additional restrictions that prohibit all outdoor burning, including recreational campfires, fire pits, and charcoal grills on private property. These enhanced restrictions apply regardless of VCAPCD burn-day status. EPA-certified pellet stoves meeting VCAPCD emission standards and natural gas or propane fireplace inserts remain exempt from No-Burn day curtailments, and the district encourages residents to transition to these cleaner-burning alternatives. Residents can check current burn-day status at vcapcd.org or by calling the VCAPCD information line at (805) 645-1400.