Chester County, PA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Charcoal, wood, or pellet smokers used to cook food are treated the same as other outdoor cooking devices in Chester County, and there is no county smoker ordinance. Pennsylvania air rule 25 Pa Code 129.14 expressly allows 'a fire set solely for cooking food,' so residential smoking of food is lawful. Fire safety follows the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code and its adopted International Fire Code, whose open-flame cooking provision restricts charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction at multifamily buildings, with exceptions for one- and two-family dwellings and sprinklered buildings.