Knox County, TN Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- None (cooking fire)
- Approved fuel
- Cooking wood, pellets, charcoal
- Prohibited fuel
- Treated wood, trash, leaves
- Multi-family
- Balcony restrictions apply
- Placement
- Noncombustible surface, outdoors
Summary
Backyard smokers count as cooking fires in Knox County and need no open-burning permit. Use clean cooking wood or charcoal, keep the smoker clear of structures, and follow the same multi-family fire-code limits that apply to grills.
Cooking fires are allowed without a permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
A wood or charcoal smoker used to cook food is treated as a 'cooking fire,' which Knox County Air Quality allows without a permit. That means residents can run offset smokers, pellet smokers, and kamado cookers in the backyard. You must burn only clean cooking wood, wood pellets, or lump charcoal, not treated lumber, pallets, leaves, or trash, which fall under the prohibited open-burning materials. As with grills, the adopted 2018 International Fire Code restricts open-flame and solid-fuel cooking appliances on or near combustible balconies of multi-family buildings. Site the smoker on a noncombustible surface, away from siding and overhangs, and never operate it indoors, in a garage, or on an enclosed porch.
Violations & Fines
Smoking with prohibited fuels can trigger Air Quality open-burning penalties; unsafe placement at multi-family units is a fire-code violation subject to correction by the fire marshal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to use a backyard smoker?
What can I burn in my smoker?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knox County
Compare Knox County to another location·View the Tennessee outdoor cooking overview
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