Backyard meat smokers are treated as cooking fires in Kootenai County: no permit is required, but the fire must be attended, at least 25 feet from any structure with 10 feet of clearance, use only clean wood, and be fully extinguished before leaving.
Kootenai County Fire & Rescue does not single out smokers, but a wood or charcoal smoker is a cooking fire under its recreation/cooking fire rules: 'No Permit is Required for Recreation/Cooking Fires.' The same safety conditions apply - keep the smoker 25 feet from any structure, maintain a 10-foot vegetation-free radius, use only untreated wood, keep a hose or shovel on scene, and put the fire out cold to the touch before leaving. Cooking fires are allowed at night. During Stage 1/Stage 2 fire restrictions, solid-fuel (wood/charcoal) smoking outdoors may be temporarily prohibited; propane/pellet units with shut-offs are usually still allowed.
Leaving a smoker unattended, or operating a solid-fuel smoker during a fire ban, can bring fire-district enforcement and liability for any escaped-fire suppression costs.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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