Spokane, WA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Wood smokers, pellet smokers, charcoal smokers, ceramic kamados, and offset smokers are all 'open-flame cooking devices' subject to IFC 308.1.4 as adopted under SMC Chapter 17F.080. On apartment, condo, or townhome balconies, these units must be at least 10 feet from any combustible construction unless the building is fully sprinklered. Single-family lots on flatland Spokane have no fire-code setback. The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA), authorized under RCW 70A.15 and WAC 173-433, administers burn bans during summer wildfire season and during winter inversion events. Stage 1 burn bans prohibit all outdoor wood and charcoal fires - this includes wood and charcoal smokers as combustion cooking devices, although gas and pellet smokers using only sealed pellets may sometimes be allowed (check SRCAA guidance). Stage 2 burn bans prohibit ALL outdoor combustion including pellet smokers; only propane and natural gas remain permitted. Smoke-nuisance complaints fall under SMC Chapter 10.70 (Public Disturbance Noise) for repeated complaint patterns or under SRCAA Regulation 1, Section 6.04 for residential wood-smoke nuisance, which authorizes citations for persistent smoke causing detriment to a neighbor. Burning trash, treated lumber, or painted wood is illegal under WAC 173-425 and RCW 70A.15.3520.