Bellevue, WA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

307 amends International Fire Code Section 307 to prohibit open burning at all times under the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's permanent ban issued in September 1992, but exempts bonfires, recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces from that prohibition. 1. 5, obtainable only by the landowner where the fire will be kindled, and must be located at least 50 feet from a structure or combustible material unless it burns in a barbecue pit. A recreational fire needs no permit but must stay 25 feet from a structure or combustible material, and a portable outdoor fireplace needs no permit but must sit at least 15 feet away and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Bellevue also layers on a second control point: the fire code official or the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency can impose a burn ban for air quality or fire danger at any time, and it is the property owner's job to check whether that ban is in effect before lighting anything; ignorance of an active ban is not a defense. Every one of these fires, whatever the category, must be constantly attended until fully extinguished, with at least one portable fire extinguisher rated 4-A, or equivalent equipment such as a garden hose, sand or a water barrel, on hand and ready. 3 to order any fire extinguished immediately if it becomes hazardous or if the operator never obtained the required permit.