Portland, OR Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Backyard smokers fall under the same 'cooking fire' exemption to PCC 31.16's open-burning ban that applies to BBQs, so an electric, pellet, charcoal, or wood smoker used to prepare food is legal at single-family homes — provided only clean dry wood, food-grade pellets, or commercial smoking woods (hickory, oak, mesquite, fruitwoods) are burned. Burning of treated lumber, painted wood, pallets, or construction debris is always illegal under PCC 31.16 and Oregon DEQ rules (OAR 340-264). On combustible apartment, condo, or townhouse balconies in buildings of three or more units, smokers using solid fuel or propane are restricted under Oregon Fire Code §308.1.4 (same rule as BBQs); electric pellet smokers are sometimes treated as electric appliances but most landlords prohibit them under lease. When smoke from a residential smoker is heavy, frequent, or specifically directed at a neighbor, the city may apply PCC 29.30 (Nuisances) — defining as a nuisance any condition that 'unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.' Complaints go to BDS Code Enforcement. DEQ may take separate action under OAR 340-208 if opacity exceeds 20% or smoke is persistent. Commercial smokers (food carts, restaurants) require a DEQ Air Contaminant Discharge Permit if emissions exceed regulated thresholds, and most use spark arrestors and grease filters under the Oregon Mechanical Specialty Code.