Colusa County, CA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Using a wood, charcoal or pellet smoker to cook food at a private home in unincorporated Colusa County is regulated as outdoor cooking rather than open burning, so it is not subject to the Air Pollution Control District's permissive-burn-day requirement or a CAL FIRE residential burn permit (which apply to burning vegetation and waste). The applicable standards are the California Fire Code provisions adopted countywide under County Code Sec. 5-12, which address safe placement and operation of fuel-fired cooking appliances away from combustible construction. While there is no smoker-specific ordinance, the APCD's residential-burning rules and general nuisance provisions mean a smoker should not create a public nuisance through excessive or offensive smoke; District Rule 300 prohibits burning materials that produce offensive odors. Practically, smoker operators should burn only clean, dry cooking wood or commercial pellets/charcoal (never trash, treated wood or yard debris, which would be prohibited open burning), site the smoker on a non-combustible surface clear of dry grass and structures, keep it attended, and have water or an extinguisher nearby. In the wildfire-prone western foothills (Stonyford, Lodoga and surrounding SRA), avoid using a smoker during red-flag warnings, high winds or burn-suspension periods because escaped embers can start a wildfire. No county permit is required to operate a residential smoker.