Los Angeles Municipal Code § 57.305 Ignition Sources

Section 305 of the CFC is hereby adopted in its entirety with the following exceptions, modifications, and additions.

Sections 57.305.5.1.1 through 57.305.5.1.3 shall apply to institutional or residential occupancies.

For the purpose of Section 57.305.5.1, the term “fire” shall mean a hostile fire which is not confined to a place intended for the confinement of fire, or which has escaped from such place of confinement.

Any person who, in any residential or institutional occupancy, by any means whatsoever, through carelessness or negligence, sets fire to or causes the burning of any bedding, furniture, rug, curtain, drape, or other house or household furnishings or fittings or any part of such residential or institutional occupancy, in such manner as to endanger the safety of any person or property, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

The owner, manager, or person in control of each residential or institutional occupancy shall post or cause to be posted conspicuously in the lobby of each establishment a printed notice with the wording “FIRE REGULATIONS” in not less than 14 point bold face type, and the text of Section 57.305.5.1.2 in not less than 12 point bold face type, and shall also post such notice, or cause such notice to be posted, in each unit of occupancy within such establishment designed or intended for the use of, or used by, transients, and at such other locations as may be directed by the Chief.

Violation of Sections 57.305.5.1.1 through 57.305.5.1.3 shall be subject to penalties and minimum fines as prescribed in Section 57.110.4 and Table 57.110.4.

Use of metal cutting blades for grass or brush clearance shall be limited to those which are non- ferrous/non-sparking.

The provisions of this section shall apply when grass or brush clearance operations are being conducted in accordance with Section 57.4906.5 in areas within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ), as defined in Figure 57.4911.1.1.

A first violation of this section shall be an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed $250. A second and all subsequent violations of this section shall be subject to the provisions of Section 11.00 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, including prosecution as an infraction or prosecution as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000, by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. In addition to the aforementioned penalties, any violator convicted under this section, which resulted in a fire, may be liable for any civil cost recovery associated with the fire, as permitted by law.