Spokane County, WA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Washington's outdoor burning rule, WAC 173-425, defines a "recreational fire" as a cooking fire, campfire or bonfire using charcoal or firewood, kept in a designated area or on private property, for cooking, pleasure or ceremonial purposes; fires built to dispose of debris do not count. WAC 173-425-060(2)(i) requires a permit for any recreational fire whose total fuel area exceeds three feet in diameter or two feet in height, except in the nonurban parts of counties with an unincorporated population under 50,000. Spokane County's total population tops half a million, so that narrow rural carve-out does not apply here, and an oversized fire pit needs a permit from the designated permitting agency.

Whatever the size, WAC 173-425-050(6) requires a person capable of extinguishing the fire to attend it at all times and put it out before leaving, and bars any fire within 50 feet of a structure. The same section curtails all outdoor burning, recreational or not, the moment Ecology or the local air authority declares an air pollution episode or impaired air quality, or the local fire protection authority declares a burn ban; the person responsible must extinguish the fire immediately once a curtailment is declared and check burning conditions before lighting one.

Fires may not contain garbage, dead animals, plastics, treated wood, construction debris or other material that produces toxic emissions or dense smoke. WAC 173-425-050 was itself amended effective July 2, 2026, underscoring that the burn-ban and curtailment duties are current, not legacy text.