Hanford, CA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

The City of Hanford's Fire Code amendments (Hanford Municipal Code § 15.02.030) permit fixed barbecue pits and outdoor fireplaces built to California Building Code standards inside city limits. Section 307.1.1a requires every pit and fireplace to be kept in good condition and repair at all times, with a minimum 15-foot clearance maintained between the equipment and any rubbish, dry grass, weeds, vegetation, or other combustible material. This sits alongside Hanford's broader open-burning ban, which prohibits burning refuse outdoors except in narrow cases such as agricultural burning, fire-department-permitted warming fires, and fires used solely for cooking food.