Fire Restrictions Hit SoCal Public Lands April 15

The Bureau of Land Management’s California Desert District dropped into seasonal fire restrictions on Tuesday, and the order covers many wilderness areas. In effect from April 15 through October 29 (barring an early termination) the restrictions apply to BLM-managed land across Imperial, southern Inyo, eastern Kern, Los Angeles, eastern Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

The order establishes Stage I and Stage II restrictions on campfires, controlled-flame devices, recreational target shooting, and smoking. If you camp, ride, or shoot on BLM land in SoCal, this is the document that governs what you can do with anything that produces heat, spark, or flame until late October.

What’s actually prohibited

The headline item for most OSC readers is campfires. On BLM-managed land outside developed campgrounds, you still need a California Campfire Permit, free at readyforwildfire.org, and you’re now also required to maintain a five-foot diameter clearance around any fire, keep a shovel and water on hand, and put it dead out before you leave. During Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches, campfires and target shooting are suspended outright, regardless of whether you hold a permit.

Gas and liquid-fuel stoves aren’t affected by the seasonal order in the same way campfires are. Backpacking with a canister stove or running a two-burner at a dispersed site is still on the table, but read the Fire Prevention Order for the specifics in the district you’re visiting, because Stage II conditions can tighten that further.

Recreational target shooting is where the order has the sharpest edge. It’s now prohibited on BLM-managed public lands in San Diego County, eastern Kern, western Riverside, western San Bernardino, and eastern Los Angeles counties. Hunting with legal ammunition during designated seasons is exempt. For everyone who’s been plinking at BLM dispersed areas in San Diego’s backcountry or the western SB desert, that’s the end of it until October 29. The BLM points people to WhereToShoot.org for alternative ranges.

Steel-core, steel-jacketed, armor-piercing, tracer, and incendiary ammunition are prohibited year-round on BLM land in California, not just during the seasonal window. Same goes for fireworks and exploding targets. Violations carry a maximum penalty of $100,000 or twelve months in prison, or both.

This is only half the picture

Worth remembering: BLM isn’t the only agency drawing lines around fire on SoCal public land. The Cleveland National Forest has been running its own fire use restrictions since January 17, with that order scheduled to stay in effect through July 31. On Cleveland NF land, which covers most of the ranges that San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County hikers and mountain bikers actually use, campfires outside developed recreation sites are already off-limits, as is open-flame welding or torch work.

Angeles, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests run their own parallel seasonal orders that typically stack onto year-round rules. If you’re planning a trip that crosses jurisdictions, say, a bikepacking route that touches BLM, Cleveland NF, and state land, check each one. “It was fine on BLM” doesn’t matter when you’re ten miles inside a National Forest boundary.

What this means if you’re going out there

Nothing about this order stops you from using the land. It stops specific activities, in specific places, during the window when SoCal’s fuels are primed to burn.

The practical translation:

Camping. Dispersed camping on BLM is still allowed. Bring a stove, skip the campfire unless you’re at a developed campground with an existing ring, and carry your permit. If you need the fire for coffee, that’s what isobutane canisters are for.

Target shooting. If you were planning on the BLM dispersed areas in the five affected counties, you’re not shooting there until November. Find a range.

Mountain biking, hiking, trail running, climbing. No direct restrictions on the activity itself. The one to watch is Red Flag Warnings — on those days, anything that produces a spark becomes a liability, and access closures get drawn up fast if conditions deteriorate. Build the forecast check into your pre-trip routine the same way you’d check water availability.

Off-roading. Park away from dry grass. Vehicle exhaust is a listed ignition source the order explicitly calls out. Carry a fire extinguisher anyway.

The BLM Desert District’s year-round restrictions and the statewide Fire Prevention Order stay in place through 2030, layered underneath this seasonal order. The interactive map of what applies where is at the California Fire Information and Fire Restrictions page.

Sources: BLM announcement (April 14, 2026) · BLM California fire restrictions page · Cleveland National Forest fire use restrictions · Fox 5 San Diego