How Provo Handles Outdoor Cooking: A Practical Guide
Every city handles outdoor cooking a little differently. In Provo, Utah, there are 2 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.
BBQ & Propane Rules
Provo's open-burning ban carves out backyard cooking: contained barbecues and fire pits used for outdoor cooking are exempt from the general open-fire prohibition in City Code 9.51.040, as long as the cooking area is six feet or less in diameter.
Key details: Grill size cap: 6 feet diameter cooking area, contained. Governing exception: Provo City Code 9.51.040(2)(b). Default rule: All open burning unlawful absent an exception. Enforcing code: Chapter 9.51, adopted International Fire Code.
A contained barbecue or pit over six feet in diameter, or an uncontained outdoor cooking fire, loses the Section 9.51.040(2)(b) exemption and becomes an unlawful open burning under Subsection (1), enforced by the Provo Fire Marshal's office. Violations of this chapter are prosecuted under the city's general criminal penalty schedule in Section 1.03.010.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Provo gives residents more flexibility on bbq & propane rules.
Smoker Rules
Outdoor cooking setups that don't fit Provo's six-foot contained-barbecue exemption, smokers and larger rigs included, still need the fire authority's sign-off: City Code 9.51.040(2)(c) exempts 'other outdoor cooking facilities' from the open-burning ban only if the authority having jurisdiction approves them.
Key details: Approval requirement: Fire authority sign-off for non-standard smokers. Governing exception: Provo City Code 9.51.040(2)(c). Automatic exemption threshold: 6-foot contained barbecue, no approval needed. Default without approval: Treated as unlawful open burning.
Running a smoker or other outdoor cooking facility that exceeds the six-foot contained-barbecue exemption without first getting sign-off from the fire authority having jurisdiction is an unlawful open burning under Section 9.51.040(1), enforced by the Provo Fire Marshal's office and prosecuted under the city's general criminal penalty schedule in Section 1.03.010.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Provo gives residents more flexibility on smoker rules.
The Bottom Line
Compared to many U.S. cities, Provo gives residents more room on outdoor cooking. 2 of the 2 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.
These rules come from Provo's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.