Snohomish County, WA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Charcoal/wood smoker
- Cooking fire, no permit if small
- Size limit
- 3 ft diameter, 2 ft height
- Fuel
- Charcoal, dried firewood, firelogs
- Gas/pellet smoker
- Treated as appliance
- Nuisance smoke
- Must extinguish immediately
Summary
A charcoal or wood-fired smoker on private property is a cooking fire under Puget Sound Clean Air Agency rules: keep it under three feet in diameter and two feet high, burn only charcoal or clean firewood, attend it, and don't smoke out neighbors. Gas smokers are appliances.
Keep it small. Fires must not exceed three feet in diameter or two feet in height. Fuel it right. Only charcoal, dried firewood or manufactured firelogs may be used. It is illegal to burn anything else. ... Be a good neighbor. It is always illegal to smoke out your neighbor.
Full Breakdown
There is no separate Snohomish County ordinance for backyard smokers. A charcoal- or wood-fired smoker used for cooking falls under the PSCAA recreational/cooking fire rules that govern the whole county: under three feet in diameter and two feet high, no burn permit required, and only charcoal, dried firewood, or manufactured firelogs as fuel. Gas and pellet smokers are cooking appliances rather than open burning. A person capable of extinguishing the fire must attend it at all times. Cooking fires are always prohibited during air-quality burn bans, and it is always illegal to let smoke create a nuisance for neighbors, in which case you must put the fire out immediately.
Violations & Fines
Using banned fuels, exceeding size limits, or smoking during an air-quality ban can draw fines starting around $1,000 plus fire-department response costs; nuisance smoke must be extinguished on demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there rules for using a smoker in my backyard?
Can my neighbor complain about smoker smoke?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
Compare Snohomish County to another location·View the Washington outdoor cooking overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.