Medford, OR Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

766, adopted by Ordinance No. 2024-29 on April 4, 2024, in response to embers that travel a mile or more and ignite dry material during extreme fire danger and red flag warnings. 751(1) defines 'fire capable of spreading' to include solid-fuel fires that create embers and any permit-exempt fire within three feet of flammable material, but subsection (1)(b) carves out two exceptions: appliances used for cooking, such as BBQs and smokers, when used according to the manufacturer's instructions, and pleasure or ceremonial fires using liquified fuels like propane or butane in an appliance intended for that purpose and used as directed.

761 elevates a reckless violation causing property damage to a misdemeanor. Because a smoker or BBQ run per the manufacturer's manual falls outside the 'fire capable of spreading' definition, it is not swept into those bans. 766, which separately bar any fire or ignition source, smoker included, in the designated high-risk public areas of the Greenways and Prescott Park; those sections apply regardless of appliance type.