Tehama County, CA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Tehama County has no smoker-specific ordinance; wood, pellet, charcoal, and propane smokers are treated as outdoor cooking appliances under the California Fire Code (adopted countywide) rather than as open burning, so they are not subject to permissive-burn-day rules and do not require a CAL FIRE burn permit. Because a smoker burns clean wood, pellets, or charcoal solely for cooking, it is distinct from the vegetation pile burning regulated by the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District. The same general fire-safety provisions that apply to grills apply to smokers: keep the unit a safe distance from the house, eaves, fences, decks, and dry grass; never operate it indoors, in a garage, or on a combustible balcony at a building with three or more units (California Fire Code section 308.1.4); and keep a fire extinguisher or water source nearby. Propane-fired smokers fall under California Fire Code Chapter 61 and NFPA 58 — store LP-gas cylinders outdoors and upright, never in a basement or enclosed below-grade space. Because much of the county's foothills and Coast Range is a State Responsibility Area with High/Very High fire hazard, outdoor open-flame and ember-producing cooking can be temporarily restricted during red-flag warnings or high fire danger; confirm conditions with CAL FIRE / Tehama County Fire before smoking on high-risk days, and clear embers and ash safely after use.