Waynesville, MO Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 520.070, the general rules and regulations for RV parks and campgrounds adopted by Ordinance No. 2620 on December 19, 2024, requires that all fire rings and other forms of outdoor cooking sit in designated areas, constructed, maintained and used so as to minimize fire hazards and smoke nuisances. Fires may only burn in safe, convenient spots that will not endanger vegetation, undergrowth, trees or the RVs themselves. The same subsection flatly bars open fires of any kind during red flag events, the fire-weather designation for high fire-danger conditions, without exception.

The rule sits alongside the rest of Chapter 520's operating standards: interior roads must stay graded and surfaced to let emergency vehicles move freely, park areas and service buildings must stay litter-free and sanitary, and any animals traveling with campers must stay leashed or tethered within their campsite. Section 520.070(F) makes the park developer or owner accountable to the City for adherence to every one of these regulations, so a campground operator, not just an individual camper, answers to the City if a fire ring is out of place or an open fire burns during a red flag event.

The rule only reaches RV parks and campgrounds licensed under Chapter 520; it does not on its own regulate backyard cooking fires outside a licensed park.