Chelan County, WA Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Devices covered
- fireworks, fire pits, chimeneas, BBQ, portable fireplaces
- Requirement
- capable of being secured from use
- Trigger
- any Chapter 7.52 burn ban in effect
- Also required
- 2A:10BC fire extinguisher in common area
- Plan reference
- Ready Set Go program or equivalent
Summary
Chelan County requires every short-term rental's property management plan to include a fire protection plan restricting fireworks, open flame devices, fire pits, chimeneas, and BBQ devices. Every permanently installed or portable one of those devices must be capable of being secured, and actually secured, during any burn ban under Chapter 7.52, Fire Hazard Areas.
(I) Fire Safety and Outdoor Burning.
(i) Each owner or operator must include a fire protection plan within their property management plan in subsection (3)(K) of this section to alert renters to respect firewise efforts on a property, or to comply with travel or activity restrictions of Chapter 7.52, Fire Hazard Areas. The fire protection plan shall demonstrate consistency with a Ready Set Go program or equivalent; this includes, but is not limited to, restricting the use of fireworks, outdoor fires, open flame devices, portable fireplaces, fire pits, chimeneas, or BBQ devices. All permanently installed outdoor flame devices, as well as portable burning devices shall have the ability to be secured from use in accordance with Chapter 7.52, Fire Hazard Areas, and these devices must be secured during all periods of regulated burning restrictions banning the use of that device.
Full Breakdown
290(3)(I) folds outdoor cooking and fire equipment into the short-term rental permit's fire safety requirements. 52, Fire Hazard Areas, which governs the county's seasonal outdoor burning bans. That plan has to be consistent with a Ready Set Go wildfire-readiness program or an equivalent, and it must specifically restrict the use of fireworks, outdoor fires, open flame devices, portable fireplaces, fire pits, chimeneas, and BBQ devices. 52 has a burning restriction in effect banning that type of device. Subsection (3)(I)(ii) adds a life-safety backstop unrelated to burning bans: the rental must keep at least one charged, maintained, and serviceable 2A:10BC fire extinguisher prominently available in the common living space at all times, regardless of burn ban status.
Violations & Fines
Under subsection (3)(J)(ii), failing to abate any complaint about a rental code standard under subsection (3), including an unsecured BBQ or fire pit during a burn ban, is a violation subjecting the owner or operator to civil penalties under Section 16.20.030. Because fire safety compliance also feeds the fire marshal's periodic inspections under subsection (4)(H), an unsecured device found during an inspection can hold up permit renewal in addition to drawing a civil penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Chelan County short-term rental have a propane grill on the deck?
What must a short-term rental's fire protection plan cover?
Do short-term rentals need a fire extinguisher?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
Compare Chelan County to another location·View the Washington outdoor cooking overview
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