Fire Regulations in Chelan County, WA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Chelan County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Chelan County's fire hazard code defines a lawful "campfire area" as a noncombustible ring no more than 36 inches across and 24 inches tall, cleared to mineral soil, under Section 7.52.010, and even when outdoor fires are otherwise banned for the season, Section 7.52.040 carves out an exception for recreational fires built inside one of those compliant pits.
Outdoor Campfire Pit Rules in Chelan County
Some RestrictionsChelan County Code §§ 7.52.010, 7.52.040(1)(A)
“Campfire area” is an outdoor fire-burning area for recreational fires where natural wood materials other than rubbish can be burned. The campfire area must have all combustible material removed down to mineral soil and shall have a containment area of either rock, metal, concrete or any other noncombustible material and shall not be more than thirty-six inches in diameter and twenty-four inche...
Fireworks
Retail fireworks sales in unincorporated Chelan County require a $50 fire marshal permit plus a $300 bond under Section 7.44.040, but actually discharging fireworks anywhere in the unincorporated county has been banned outright since Resolution 2016-61, "until further noticed," per the code reviser's note to Section 7.44.055.
Fireworks Sales and Discharge in Chelan County
Heavy RestrictionsChelan County Code §§ 7.44.040, 7.44.055
(a) Fee. In addition to obtaining the state license from the State Fire Marshal, each individual, organization, or other entity desiring to sell fireworks at retail within the unincorporated section of Chelan County shall obtain a fireworks permit from the Chelan County fire marshal. The fee shall be fifty dollars. (b) There shall also be posted a cash bond in the amount of three hundred dollar...
Brush Clearance
In the Icicle Valley design review overlay district near Leavenworth, unincorporated Chelan County requires every residence to clear weeds and combustible debris thirty feet out and thin trees within one hundred feet, under Chelan County Code § 11.72.070(2), a wildfire standard built into the district's rules since 1987.
Icicle Valley Brush Clearance, Chelan County
Some RestrictionsChelan County Code § 11.72.070(2)
Residential and Other Structures. ... (D) All chimneys shall be equipped with an approved spark arrestor, and all tree branches within fifteen feet of a chimney shall be removed; (E) All weeds and combustible debris (except for small scattered ornamental(s)) shall be cleared for a distance of at least thirty feet from each structure; (F) Trees within one hundred feet of residences and other pri...
Outdoor Burning
Once a fire hazard area is declared, Section 7.52.040 bans all land clearing and yard-debris burning outright and prohibits any outdoor fire in unincorporated Chelan County starting June 1, tightening again around July 1 when even recreational campfires and charcoal briquettes are prohibited until the restrictions lift October 1.
Outdoor Burning Ban in Chelan County
Heavy RestrictionsChelan County Code § 7.52.040
(iii) All land clearing and burning of yard debris is prohibited. (iv) Restricted Outdoor Fires. No person shall build, ignite, or maintain any outdoor fire of any kind or character. ... (B) Beginning July 1st, unless modified at the discretion of the BOCC depending on hazard conditions in the Mountain and Valley Zone. (i) Restricted Outdoor Fires. No person shall build, ignite, or maintain any...
Wildfire Zones
The Board of County Commissioners divides unincorporated Chelan County into two wildfire danger zones, a Valley Zone and a Chelan Mountain Zone, under Section 7.52.020, and can designate either a "fire hazard area" on the fire advisory board's recommendation, which triggers binding travel and activity restrictions across that zone.
Wildfire Hazard Zones in Chelan County
Significant RestrictionsChelan County Code § 7.52.020
(3) For purposes of designation of fire hazard areas, Chelan County shall be divided into two geographical zones based on the Central and Northeast Washington Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plan: (A) Valley Zone shall be composed of those unincorporated lands and area within the legal boundaries of Chelan County Fire Districts 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. (B) Chelan Mountain Zone shall be composed of t...
Smoke Detectors
In unincorporated Chelan County, every bedroom used inside a short-term rental must carry a working smoke alarm in the room itself. Chelan County Code § 14.98.267 folds the mandate into the definition of "bedroom" for Chapter 11.88's short-term rental standards, pairing it with an egress window or door meeting International Residential Code specs.
Smoke Alarms Required in Chelan County Rentals
Some RestrictionsChelan County Code § 14.98.267
For the purposes of Chapter 11.88, a “bedroom” means either enclosed or open areas within a structure being used as a short-term rental that provides sleeping accommodations such as mattresses, beds, sofa sleepers, roll away beds, day/trundle beds, bunkbeds, Murphy beds, etc. Any space used as a short-term rental bedroom under this section shall have a door or window of egress to the outside th...
Propane Storage
Chelan County's amended fire code bans charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, but exempts LP-gas cooking devices whose propane container holds no more than two and a half pounds of water capacity, roughly a one-pound nominal LP-gas cylinder, along with one- and two-family homes and sprinklered buildings.
LP-Gas Cooking Device Limits in Chelan County
Some RestrictionsChelan County Code § 3.04.080(4)
308.1.4 Open-flame cooking devices. Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction. Exceptions: 1. One- and two-family dwellings. 2. Where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system. 3. LP-gas cooking devices having LP-gas container with a water capaci...
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