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

An outdoor smoker - charcoal, wood, pellet, or propane - is treated as a cooking appliance, not as regulated open burning, in unincorporated Shasta County. Shasta County AQMD Rule 2:6 (Open Burning: General Provisions, subsection b.8) exempts 'open outdoor fires used only for cooking food for human beings or for recreational purposes per CH&SC 41704,' which covers smoking and slow-cooking food. As a result, a residential smoker does not require an air-quality burn permit or a permissive burn day, and there is no Shasta County ordinance that specifically restricts smoking food at home. The key caveat is wildfire safety. Because most of the unincorporated county is high or very high fire hazard severity zone in State Responsibility Area, CAL FIRE/Shasta County Fire can restrict open flame and devices that produce live coals or embers during declared high fire danger, red-flag warnings, or burn suspensions, and Rule 2:6 itself states the District's intent not to allow open burning when fire agencies prohibit it for fire control. Smokers that burn wood or charcoal generate embers and need particular care during fire season. Practical guidance: place the smoker on a non-combustible surface, keep at least a clear buffer from dry grass, brush, fences, and structures, use a spark screen or lid, never leave it unattended, fully extinguish and cool ashes and coals before disposal, and check daily fire-danger conditions before using a wood- or charcoal-fired smoker in summer. Propane and pellet smokers carry lower ember risk but should still be kept clear of vegetation.