Yucaipa, CA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

The code never uses the word smoker. The open-flame cooking rules that apply in the City of Yucaipa, San Bernardino County, are written in terms of barbecues, grills and outdoor fireplaces, and a wood or charcoal smoker should be read against that language with the Yucaipa Fire Department.

The California Fire Code amendments in § 15.04.075 add Section 328, Outdoor Fires. Section 328.1 says outdoor fires shall not be built, ignited or maintained in or upon hazardous fire areas except by permit from the fire code official. The exception covers outdoor fires within inhabited premises or designated camp sites built in a permanent barbecue, portable barbecues, outdoor fireplace, incinerator or grill that sit a minimum of 30 feet from a grass-, grain-, brush- or forest-covered area. A hazardous fire area is land covered with grass, grain, brush or forest so situated that a fire would present an abnormally difficult job of suppression, designated on maps entitled Hazardous Fire Areas of San Bernardino County on file with the Chief.

Section 328.2 says permits carry conditions that safeguard public safety and property, and outdoor fires in hazardous fire areas are barred when high winds are blowing, when a person aged 17 or over is not always present to watch and tend the fire, and when a public announcement is made that open burning is prohibited. Section 328.3 prohibits using permanent barbecues, portable barbecues, outdoor fireplaces or grills to dispose of rubbish, trash or combustible waste material.

The city-wide open fire chapter adds a second layer. Section 8.48.040(A) exempts cooking devices such as gas, propane or electric grills, or charcoal grills with fitted lids and spark-control features, operated at least ten feet from combustible material. Section 8.48.030(B) bars burning rubbish, waste, construction debris or yard clippings anywhere in the city.