Pierce County, WA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

PCC 14.08.080(C) governs outdoor cooking across the Pierce County park system and draws a hard line around solid fuel, limiting charcoal or wood-pellet cooking to parks equipped with hot coal disposal containers. That means a charcoal grill, offset smoker, or pellet smoker can only be fired up at the specific parks and picnic sites the Pierce County Parks and Recreation Department has outfitted with bins for safely disposing of hot coals and ash; the section draws no equivalent limit on propane or gas cooking equipped with an on/off switch, which is allowed under the same subsection without a coal-disposal requirement.

The rule works together with PCC 14.08.060(O), which makes open fires or portable units using flammable material unlawful in the park system except in designated areas, fireplace, fire rings, barbeques or grills, or unless approved by the Director or designee, so a smoker user needs both the hot-coal-disposal infrastructure under 14.08.080(C) and a designated or approved cooking spot under 14.08.060(O). Groups planning a large cookout for a reserved picnic shelter should confirm with the Department in advance which shelters have coal-disposal bins, since not every reservable site in the system is equipped for charcoal or wood-pellet use.