York County sets no rule on backyard smokers. A smoker used solely to cook food falls under the state open-burning cooking exemption and the county burn ban's grill exemption. Nuisance smoke and placement are municipal matters.
A wood, pellet, or charcoal smoker used to cook food is not regulated by York County. PA DEP's open-burning rule (25 Pa. Code Sec. 129.14) exempts fires set solely for cooking food, and the York County Commissioners' burn-ban resolution exempts propane, gas, and charcoal cooking devices, so a smoker generally remains legal even during a burn ban if it is a contained cooking appliance. Persistent, drifting smoke that disturbs neighbors can be addressed under your borough or township's nuisance or property-maintenance ordinance. In county parks, cooking is limited to charcoal or wood in Director-approved fireplaces. Never use a smoker to burn trash, that is prohibited open burning.
No county smoker penalty. Nuisance smoke is enforced by municipal code officers under local nuisance ordinances. Using a smoker to burn refuse is illegal open burning under DEP rules.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
York County, PA
The York County Solid Waste Authority actively encourages backyard composting and mulch-mowing and runs a county yard-waste drop-off at the Resource Recovery...
York County, PA
York County has no rule on artificial turf. Whether synthetic grass is allowed, and any permit or stormwater requirement, is decided by your borough, city, o...
York County, PA
York County does not require or ban native-plant landscaping. Native meadows and pollinator gardens are legal and encouraged, but any 'natural landscaping' e...
York County, PA
Pennsylvania places no restriction on collecting rainwater, and York County does not ban it. Rain barrels and cisterns for garden use are legal statewide; la...
York County, PA
York County imposes no countywide lawn-watering restriction. Limits, if any, are set by your water supplier (such as the York Water Company) or your municipa...
York County, PA
York County has no countywide weed ordinance. Noxious weeds and overgrown vegetation are declared a nuisance and abated by your borough, the City of York, or...
See how York County's smoker rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.