41800-41815

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 41800-41815




41800.  Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person
shall use open outdoor fires for the purpose of disposal or burning
of petroleum wastes, demolition debris, tires, tar, trees, wood
waste, or other combustible or flammable solid or liquid waste; or
for metal salvage or burning of motor vehicle bodies.



41801.  Nothing in this article shall be construed as limiting the
authority granted under other provisions of law to any public officer
to set or permit a fire when such fire is, in his or her opinion,
necessary for any of the following purposes:
   (a) The prevention of a fire hazard which cannot be abated by any
other means.
   (b) The instruction of public employees in the methods of fighting
fire.
   (c) The instruction of employees in methods of fighting fire, when
such fire is set, pursuant to permit, on property used for
industrial purposes.
   (d) The setting of backfires necessary to save life or valuable
property pursuant to Section 4426 of the Public Resources Code.
   (e) The abatement of fire hazards pursuant to Section 13055.
   (f) Disease or pest prevention, where there is an immediate need
for and no reasonable alternative to burning.
   (g) The remediation of an oil spill pursuant to Section 8670.7 of
the Government Code.


41802.  Notwithstanding Section 41800, with respect to wood waste
from trees, vines, or bushes on property being developed for
commercial or residential purposes, or with respect to the disposal
of brush cuttings on the property where the brush was grown when the
cuttings resulted from brush clearance done in compliance with local
ordinances to reduce fire hazard, a district board may, upon its own
motion or the request of any person, authorize the disposal, by open
outdoor fires, of such waste, on the property where it was grown,
under the conditions specified in Section 41804.



41803.  No authorization, however, under Section 41802 or 41804.5
shall be granted after such date as the state board may determine,
based upon a finding that an alternative method of disposal has been
developed which is technologically and economically feasible.



41804.  Burning may be authorized under Section 41802 only if:
   (a) The district board finds that it is more desirable to dispose
of such waste by burning than to dispose of it by other available
means, such as, but not limited to, by removing it to sanitary fills.
   (b) The district has developed criteria for such disposal, which
shall include provisions to improve the combustibility of such waste
to reduce its smoke level.
   (c) The state board has approved the criteria developed pursuant
to subdivision (b).
   (d) Such authorization, if granted, shall be in the form of a
permit issued by the district air pollution control officer, and such
permit shall allow burning only on days during which agricultural
burning is not prohibited by the state board pursuant to Section
41855.
   (e) The district board may adopt rules and regulations to
authorize any burning authorized under Section 41802, to review each
proposed burn prior to authorizing its air pollution control officer
to issue a permit for the burn, or to delegate to its air pollution
control officer the authority to approve or disapprove each proposed
burn after consideration of the amount of waste to be burned, the
season of the year, the ambient air quality, the proximity of the
waste to developed areas, or such other or additional criteria as the
district board may establish.



41804.5.  (a) Notwithstanding Section 41800, a district board may
authorize, subject to the limitations in Section 41803 and this
section, the use of open outdoor fires by a city or county to dispose
of nonindustrial wood waste from trees, vines, and brush at disposal
sites located above 1,500 feet elevation mean sea level anywhere in
the state, or at any elevation in the area designated as the North
Coast Air Basin by the state board pursuant to Section 39606.
   (b) Authorization for such burning, if granted, shall be in the
form of permits issued by the district and by the fire protection
agency having jurisdiction over the area in which the disposal site
is located. The permits shall allow burning only on days during which
agricultural burning is not prohibited by the state board pursuant
to Section 41855.
   (c) No permit shall be issued until there is filed with the
district a written statement by the owner of the land on which the
disposal site is located, or his agent, or if some other person is
lawfully in possession of such land, by such other person, approving
the burning on such land by the city or county.
   (d) Prior to issuing a permit, the district may inspect the wood
waste to be burned to verify that it is exclusively nonindustrial
wood waste from trees, vines, and brush.
   (e) The state board shall approve the use of open outdoor fires at
a designated disposal site to dispose of such wood waste if such an
operation of the disposal site will not prevent the achievement and
maintenance of ambient air quality standards. The approval shall be
granted for a minimum of one year.
   (f) In seeking approval from the state board to use open outdoor
fires at disposal sites throughout the county to dispose of such wood
waste, a county may submit its plan for the disposal of such wood
waste in the county by the use of open outdoor fires at the disposal
sites.


41805.  (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that, because
sanitary landfill sites are very difficult to obtain, these valuable
sites should be reserved for high-priority waste such as garbage and
low-volume rubbish, and that the disposal, by open outdoor fires of
high-volume wood waste will help prolong the life of such landfill
sites. However, it is the intent of the Legislature that the
disposal, by open outdoor fires, of such waste be reasonably
regulated so as to not create a nuisance or significantly reduce the
quality of the ambient air.
   (b) Therefore, the state board shall conduct studies of
alternative methods of disposing of wood waste from trees, vines, or
bushes, other than by open outdoor fires.



41805.5.  (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), the
operator of a solid waste disposal site shall submit to the district
on or before July 1, 1987, a solid waste air quality assessment test
report that contains all of the following:
   (1) Test results to determine if there is any underground landfill
gas migration beyond the solid waste disposal site's perimeter.
   (2) Analyses for specified air contaminants in the ambient air
adjacent to the solid waste disposal site to determine the effect of
the site on air quality.
   (3) Chemical characterization test results to determine the
composition of gas streams immediately above the solid waste disposal
site, or immediately above the solid waste disposal site and within
the solid waste disposal site, as appropriate, as determined by the
district.
   (4) Any other information that the district board requires, by
emergency regulation.
   The solid waste air quality assessment test report shall be
prepared in accordance with the guidelines developed by the state
board pursuant to subdivision (d).
   (b) The operator of an inactive solid waste disposal site shall
complete and submit the screening questionnaire, developed pursuant
to subdivision (e), to the district on or before November 1, 1986,
unless the operator is required to submit a report containing the
same information specified in subdivision (a) pursuant to a federal,
state, or district order, or unless exempted pursuant to subdivision
(c). The district shall evaluate the submitted screening
questionnaires in accordance with the guidelines developed pursuant
to subdivision (e) and shall determine whether the operator of the
site is required to submit all, or a portion of, the information
required to be reported in a solid waste air quality assessment test
report. The district shall notify the operator in writing on or
before January 1, 1987, of the information identified in subdivision
(a) to be submitted for the site. After receiving this notification,
the operator of the inactive solid waste disposal site shall submit a
solid waste air quality assessment test report containing the
required information on or before January 1, 1988, to the district.
   (c) A district may exempt from subdivisions (a) and (b) a solid
waste disposal site or inactive solid waste disposal site that has
accepted or now contains only inert and nondecomposable solids. To
receive an exemption, the operator of the site shall submit, on or
before November 1, 1986, a copy of all permits, all waste discharge
requirements pertinent to the site, and any other data necessary for
the district to determine whether an exemption should be granted to
the site.
   (d) On or before February 1, 1987, the state board, in
coordination with the districts, shall develop and publish test
guidelines for the solid waste air quality assessment report
specifying the air contaminants to be tested for and identifying
acceptable testing, analytical, and reporting methods to be employed
in completing the report.
   (e) On or before October 1, 1986, the state board, in coordination
with the districts, shall develop and publish a screening
questionnaire for inactive solid waste disposal sites and guidelines
for evaluating the questionnaire by the districts pursuant to
subdivision (b). The screening questionnaire and guidelines shall
require an inactive solid waste disposal site to be evaluated based
on the nature and age of materials in the site, the quantity of
materials in the site, the size of the site, and other appropriate
factors. The guidelines for evaluating the screening questionnaire
shall require a district to weigh heavily the proximity of the site
to residences, schools, and other sensitive areas, and to pay
particular attention to potential adverse impacts on facilities such
as hospitals and schools, and on residential areas, within one mile
of the site's perimeter.
   (f) A district may reevaluate the status of a solid waste disposal
site, including sites exempted pursuant to subdivision (c), and
require the operator to submit or revise a solid waste air quality
assessment test report after January 1, 1987. The district shall give
written notification to the operator of the solid waste disposal
site that a solid waste air quality assessment test report is to be
submitted, or that the existing report is to be revised, and the date
by which the report is to be submitted.
   (g) A district shall evaluate any solid waste air quality
assessment test reports submitted pursuant to subdivisions (a), (b),
and (f), and determine if the report's testing, analytical, and
reporting methods comply with the guidelines developed pursuant to
subdivision (d). If the district determines that the solid waste air
quality assessment test report complies with the guidelines, it shall
evaluate the data. If the district determines, after evaluation of
the report and consultation with the state department and the
California Integrated Waste Management Board, that levels of one or
more specified air contaminants pose a health risk to human beings or
a threat to the environment, the district shall take appropriate
remedial action.
   (h) If a district determines that a solid waste air quality
assessment test report does not comply with the guidelines developed
pursuant to subdivision (d), the district shall provide the operator
of the site with a written notice specifying the inadequacies of the
report and shall require the operator to correct the deficiencies and
resubmit the report by a date determined by the district.
   (i) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions
apply:
   (1) "Inactive solid waste disposal site" means a solid waste
disposal site that has not received any solid waste for disposal
after January 1, 1984.
   (2) "Landfill gas" means any untreated, raw gas derived through a
natural process from the decomposition of organic waste deposited in
a solid waste disposal site or from the evolution of volatile species
in the waste.
   (3) "Operator" means the person who operates or manages, or who
has operated or managed, the solid waste disposal site. If the
operator of the solid waste disposal site no longer exists, or is
unable, as determined by the district, to comply with the
requirements of this section, "operator" means any person who owns or
who has owned the solid waste disposal site.
   (4) "Perimeter" means the outer boundary of the entire solid waste
disposal site property.
   (5) "Solid waste disposal site" means a place, location, tract of
land, area, or premises in use, or which has been used, for the
landfill disposal of solid waste, as defined in Section 40191 of the
Public Resources Code, or hazardous waste, as defined in Section
40141 of the Public Resources Code, or both.
   (6) "Specified air contaminants" means substances determined to be
air contaminants by the state board in coordination with the
districts. The state board and the districts shall consider
determining the following compounds to be air contaminants for
purposes of this paragraph: benzene, chloroethene, 1,2-dibromoethane,
1,2-dichloroethane benzyl chloride, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene,
1,1-dichloroethene, dichloromethane, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide,
tetrachloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, toluene,
1,1,1-trichloroethan e, trichloroethylene, trichloromethane, xylene,
and any other substance deemed appropriate by the state board or a
district.



41805.6.  Notwithstanding Section 41805.5, a small city which
operates a Class III solid waste disposal site is not required to
submit a screening questionnaire or a solid waste air quality
assessment test report pursuant to Section 41805. 5 if the city has a
population of less than 20,000 persons, the solid waste disposal
site receives less than 20,000 tons of waste per year, the water
table of the highest aquifer under the disposal site is 250 or more
feet below the base of the disposal site and the water in the highest
aquifer is not potable, and the site receives less than an average
of 12 inches of rainfall per year.
   This section applies only if the disposal site is operational and
has been granted all required permits as of January 1, 1991, and if
the site is located in Kings County.



41806.  Nothing in this article shall be construed as prohibiting
any of the following:
   (a) Burning for the disposal of the combustible or flammable solid
waste of a single- or two-family dwelling on its premises.
   (b) Open outdoor fires used only for cooking food for human beings
or for recreational purposes.
   (c) The burning, in a respectful and dignified manner, of an
unserviceable American flag that is no longer fit for display.



41807.  Nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit
burning for right-of-way clearing by a public entity or utility or
for levee, reservoir, and ditch maintenance. No such material may be
burned pursuant to this section unless (a) agricultural burning is
not prohibited on the day pursuant to Section 41855, and (b) the
material has been prepared by stacking, drying, or other methods to
promote combustion as specified by the air pollution control officer
having jurisdiction.



41808.  The state board shall permit a city or county to use open
outdoor fires, for a limited time only, in its operation of a solid
waste dump, upon the finding that, because of sparse population in
the geographical area and economic and technical difficulties, the
solid waste dump should be so operated.



41809.  Notwithstanding Sections 41508 and 41800, open outdoor fires
may be used to dispose of Russian thistle (Salsola kali) when
authorized by a chief of a fire department or fire protection agency
of a city, county, or fire protection district, the Director of
Forestry and Fire Protection or his or her duly authorized
representative, a county agricultural commissioner, or an air
pollution control officer.



41810.  For islands located 15 or more miles from the mainland
coast:
   (a) The provisions of Section 41701 shall not apply to smoke from
fires set thereon.
   (b) No district shall adopt any rule or regulation stricter than
those provided by law with respect to open outdoor fires.



41811.  The provisions of this article shall not supersede any rule
or regulation of any district, which rule or regulation was in effect
for five or more years prior to September 19, 1970.



41812.  The air pollution control officer of any district in a
county with a population of 6,000,000 or less, upon authorization of
the district board, may authorize, by permit, open outdoor fires for
the purpose of disposing of agricultural wastes, or wood waste from
trees, vines, bushes, or other wood debris free of nonwood materials,
in a mechanized burner such that no air contaminant is discharged
into the atmosphere for a period or periods aggregating more than 30
minutes in any eight-hour period which is:
   (a) As dark or darker in shade as that designated as No. 1 on the
Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines,
or
   (b) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer's view to a degree
equal to or greater than does smoke described in subdivision (a).
   In authorizing the operation of a mechanized burner, the air
pollution control officer may make the permit subject to whatever
conditions he determines are reasonably necessary to assure
conformance with the standards prescribed in this section.




41813.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, in the
San Bernardino County Air Pollution Control District, Group 2 solid
waste, as defined in Section 2521 of Title 23 of the California
Administrative Code, for a period not to exceed six months from the
effective date of this section, may be disposed of by means of an air
curtain destructor. The authority provided by this section applies
only to an existing solid waste disposal site in the upper desert
area which receives less than 50 tons of solid waste for disposal per
day. The use of the air curtain destructor shall be monitored by the
San Bernardino County Air Pollution Control District and the state
board. Within nine months after the effective date of this section,
the district shall file a report with the County of San Bernardino
and the state board regarding the extent to which the air curtain
destructor meets the emission rules, regulations, and orders of the
district and the state board.
   At the end of the six-month experimental period, the air curtain
destructor may continue to be used if the state board makes a finding
that the public health and safety will not be adversely affected by
continued use. The state board, in cooperation with San Bernardino
County, shall establish a list of toxic materials that will be
removed from the solid waste prior to use of the air curtain
destructor.
   There shall be no liability on the part of the state board for any
injury occurring as a result of the use of the air curtain
destructor under the provisions of this section.



41815.  Notwithstanding any local ordinance adopted pursuant to
Section 37100 of the Government Code or by charter provision to
prohibit the burning of waste materials, the burning of the gaseous
byproducts of the recycling of water by a waste water treatment
facility as part of an energy conservation and cost reduction program
to generate power to operate the facility shall be permitted if the
burning operation complies with all regulations of the district
having jurisdiction and any other applicable provisions of state law.