BLM California fire restrictions on October 30: three offices eased, and the desert order's end date has passed

Campfires are allowed again on BLM land around Bishop, Bakersfield and the Central Coast, as long as you carry a California Campfire Permit. BLM eased restrictions at all three field offices on October 26, 2026. The desert is less clear. Its seasonal order was written to end October 29, but BLM’s own fire page still listed it the next day. Checked October 30, 2026.

What eased on October 26

Bishop Field Office, Inyo and Mono counties. Restrictions had been in place since June 22. The announcement says “recreational target shooting and campfires are once again allowed on public lands with a valid campfire permit, unless otherwise posted.”

Bakersfield and Central Coast field offices, in effect since May 15. The announcement uses the same wording and covers BLM land in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Tulare counties. There are two exceptions. BLM land in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties “will remain in fire restrictions until Jan. 1, 2027.” The announcement doesn’t say what those restrictions are, and the fire page doesn’t list them. Motorized access at the Panoche Hills Special Recreation Management Area is also still closed, but that closure protects a lizard, not fire safety.

What still applies everywhere

The statewide order doesn’t end with the season. Before you build a campfire, or use charcoal or a wood stove, outside a developed campground, BLM’s California fire page requires three things: a 5-foot circle cleared to bare soil with nothing flammable overhead, a round-point shovel at least 35 inches long within reach, and a valid California Campfire Permit. The permit is free. Our earlier piece on the desert orders explains what counts as a developed campground. The definition is narrow.

Where it’s still restricted

Mother Lode and Ukiah. On October 30 the fire page still listed both offices with no campfire or open flame of any kind, “including within established campgrounds.” Mother Lode allows stoves and lanterns with shut-off valves if you have a permit. Ukiah’s section doesn’t say whether stoves are allowed, so call before you count on one.

The California Desert District. Order CAD-000-2026-02 covers Imperial, southern Inyo, eastern Kern, Los Angeles, eastern Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, and it “ends on October 29, 2026, at 23:59 P.M. unless terminated sooner.” A day later, the fire page still showed Stage I and Stage II for the desert field offices. We found no announcement extending the order, and none ending it.

We can’t tell you which source is right. If you’re camping in the desert this week, follow the stricter one. In Stage II areas that means no open fire at all. In Stage I areas it means campfires only in approved pits and grills at developed sites, in the Imperial County Special Recreation Management Areas, or at Dumont Dunes, with a permit. Stoves with a shut-off valve and a permit are fine under both. The district’s separate year-round order also suspends campfires anywhere under a Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch, and that order runs through 2030.

What to do

1. Get the free California Campfire Permit if you don’t already have one. The BLM fire page links to where you can get it, and you need it under every order on this page, stoves included.
2. In the desert, call before you light anything: California Desert District (951) 697-5200, El Centro (760) 337-4400, Palm Springs-South Coast (760) 833-7100, Needles (760) 326-7000, Barstow (760) 252-6000, Ridgecrest (760) 384-5400. The order lists these numbers for weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
3. Read the sign where you camp. Both announcements say “unless otherwise posted,” and a posted restriction beats BLM’s web page and ours.

For land types and stay limits, see our California free camping page.