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

Backyard smokers - charcoal, wood-pellet, or wood-fired - are not regulated by any specific Mariposa County ordinance. They fall under the same framework as other outdoor cooking: the California Fire Code's general open-flame and solid-fuel provisions, the propane rules (Chapter 61 / NFPA 58) for gas-fired smokers, and the county's overriding wildfire-safety context. Because almost the entire county is a CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area with High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the central concern is that charcoal and wood smokers generate embers and sustained heat over many hours. Smokers should be used on a noncombustible surface with generous clearance from dry grass, brush, wood fences, decks, and overhanging eaves, consistent with PRC 4291 defensible-space principles, and never left unattended; keep water or an extinguisher close and dispose of ashes only after they are completely cold. During Red Flag Warnings or declared local or state fire restrictions, ember-producing solid-fuel cooking can be limited or prohibited, particularly on public lands and in campgrounds - propane or electric smokers with a flame shutoff are generally viewed more favorably than open charcoal or wood. Separately, the smoke itself must not create a public nuisance: prolonged, heavy smoke drifting onto neighbors can raise nuisance and air-quality concerns, so position and operate the smoker to minimize drift. There are no county-set distances or fines specific to smokers; the rules derive from state fire code and nuisance/air-quality law.