Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find information that might help you understand how to find things or learn about information you might need to know about your city or town.
General
7-
General
The annual backyard burn season for burning vegetation runs from December 1st through April 30th. Residents of one or two family dwellings (who meet the requirements specified and are in the State Response Area) must obtain a permit for backyard burning at CAL FIRE at https://burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/. Further requirements for backyard burning and notifications are on our Backyard Burn Requirements page.
Backyard burning that is done without permits or on no-burn days will be subject to fines, where applicable. For Agricultural Burn permits (for commercial farming), please contact the Monterey Bay Air Resources District.
-
General
Fire extinguishers may be recycled by taking them to the Buena Vista Landfill Hazardous Waste Disposal Area. Central Fire District does not accept empty or expired fire extinguishers for disposal. Buena Vista Landfill Hazardous Waste Disposal Area 1231 Buena Vista Drive Watsonville, CA 95076 (831) 454-5153
-
Two sets of plans are required at the time of submission and must be accompanied by a completed building permit application. Fees for plan review will apply.General
-
General
Yes! Sand and sandbags are available to residents of Central Fire District in limited quantities during storm season to combat potential flooding conditions. Sand and sandbags are located at the Central Fire District fire station located at: 930 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz CA 95062. Residents are responsible for filling their own bags and are limited to 5 bags per residence.
-
General
Yes! Because a functioning smoke alarm is a critical part of home fire safety, we are happy to provide assistance to residents of the District if they are unable to change their smoke alarm batteries. If you would like help replacing the batteries in your smoke alarm, please call our Community Risk Reduction Division during business hours at (831) 685-6698. Working smoke alarms save lives!
-
General
No! Central Fire District will not accept fireworks for disposal. Please contact the CAL FIRE office located in Felton, CA at (831) 335-5355 to learn about your options for appropriately disposing of fireworks.
-
Unfortunately, no. Although we would love to help our District's future firefighters celebrate their special day, because of our day-to-day emergency response volume we are unable accommodate requests to attend birthday parties or other similar events.General