Bellevue allows residential smokers (pellet, electric, charcoal, wood) under the same rules as other open-flame cooking devices in IFC 308 as adopted by BCC 23.11. Wood and pellet smokers are subject to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) Stage 2 burn bans, which prohibit recreational solid-fuel burning during poor-air-quality episodes. Setbacks from combustible construction are required.
BCC 23.11 (Bellevue's adoption of the 2021 International Fire Code) treats charcoal, wood, and pellet smokers as open-flame cooking devices under IFC Section 308. They must be operated on a non-combustible surface, kept at least 10 feet from combustible balcony or wall construction at Group R-2 multi-family buildings, and never used inside an enclosed space. Single-family residential use follows manufacturer separation distances, typically 24 to 36 inches from any wall or overhang. PSCAA, the regional air agency for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties, can declare Stage 1 burn bans (no fires in non-EPA-certified wood stoves) and Stage 2 burn bans (all wood burning prohibited, including outdoor recreational and pellet stoves). Smokers using wood or wood pellets fall under these bans. Propane and electric smokers are exempt because they do not burn solid fuel. Ash and embers must be fully extinguished before disposal in a non-combustible container; improper ash disposal is the leading cause of summer residential fires investigated by Bellevue Fire.
Operating a solid-fuel smoker during a PSCAA Stage 2 burn ban is a violation enforced by PSCAA with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day under WAC 173-433. Fire code setback violations are enforced under BCC 23.11 with penalties up to $500 per day. Fires that escape containment can trigger cost-recovery billing and criminal reckless-burning charges under RCW 9A.48.040.
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