Pasco, WA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

A backyard smoker in Pasco is regulated as an outdoor cooking appliance under the International Fire Code (IFC) adopted through Pasco Municipal Code Chapter 16.65, not under the City's outdoor-burning ban, because it is used for cooking rather than disposing of yard debris. That means using a charcoal, wood, pellet, or propane smoker at a single-family home is allowed with ordinary fire-safety precautions. The key code limit applies to multi-family housing: IFC Section 308 prohibits charcoal and other open-flame cooking devices on combustible balconies and within 10 feet of combustible construction, and limits propane cooking devices on such balconies to a small nominal one-pound cylinder. One- and two-family dwellings, and balconies or decks protected by automatic sprinklers, are excepted. For single-family use, keep the smoker on a noncombustible surface, well clear of siding, fences, eaves, and dry vegetation; never operate a smoker inside a garage, on a covered porch with poor ventilation, or any enclosed space, because of carbon-monoxide and fire risk; and keep an extinguisher nearby. Because smokers burn for many hours, residents should remain attentive, especially during Pasco's hot, dry, windy summers, and should pause or relocate cooking during declared high fire danger near grassland. Smoke from a smoker should not be allowed to create a nuisance for neighbors. Pasco does not impose a unique numeric smoker ordinance beyond these adopted fire-code provisions, and no city permit is required for normal residential backyard smoking.