Antioch, CA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

07(C), part of the parks chapter adopted by Ordinance 915-C-S in 1996, no one may light or maintain a fire anywhere in a city park or recreation facility unless it is lit and kept in a spot specifically built for that purpose, meaning the BBQ pits the city installs at picnic areas. The ordinance goes further than naming a location: it requires that the fuel used and the way it is kindled must be of a type and manner that prevents the danger of fire spreading into surrounding vegetation, a standard that covers charcoal, propane and wood-fired grills alike since it is written around fire danger rather than fuel type.

07, so a group that reserves a picnic area under (A) is still bound by the BBQ-pit limit in (C); reserving a shelter does not authorize an open campfire or a fire pit brought from home. 04 lets the Director or City Manager close a park outright during a fire-danger emergency, such as during a red-flag warning along the San Joaquin River bluffs. Because the rule sits in the parks chapter rather than the fire code, it applies only on city park property; residential backyard smokers and grills instead fall under the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District's open-burning permit rules, a separate topic.