Tucson's Relaxed Approach to Outdoor Cooking: What's Allowed

If you live in Tucson or are thinking about moving there, outdoor cooking are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Tucson has 2 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of outdoor cooking, and some of them might surprise you.

Outdoor Kitchen Permits

Tucson's fire code exempts homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills and similar cooking devices from the open-burning permit that covers other outdoor fires. You can cook outdoors without applying to the fire department, while bonfires and incinerators still need one.

Key details: Grills/barbecue pits/broilers: No fire permit required (Sec. 11-8). Open fire/bonfire/incinerator: Fire chief permit required (Sec. 11-6). Permit fee: No charge for the open-burning permit. Unpermitted open burning: Declared a public nuisance (Sec. 11-5). Source codification: 1953 Code, ch. 18, § 37a.

Because Sec. 11-8 exempts cooking devices outright, there is no permit to violate by using a grill or barbecue pit. The exposure sits elsewhere in the chapter: operating an open fire, bonfire or incinerator without the Sec. 11-6/11-7 permit remains prohibited and is declared a public nuisance under Sec. 11-5, and a permit holder who breaks the conditions written into their permit, hours, duration, location, or device type, violates Sec. 11-9.

The rules around outdoor kitchen permits in Tucson lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Smoker Rules

Tucson Code § 11-8 exempts homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills, and similar cooking devices from the open-burning permit that § 11-6 otherwise requires for any fire or burning device operated outside a building: routine backyard smoking and grilling needs no city fire permit.

Key details: Citation: Tucson Code § 11-8. Covered devices: Homestyle broilers, barbecue pits, grills. Permit required: No, exempt from § 11-6 permit. Limit: Cooking use only, not trash burning. Fallback rule: § 11-5 nuisance ban still applies.

Using a home barbecue, smoker, or grill for cooking never triggers a permit violation under § 11-8. But if the device is used to burn trash or other prohibited material instead of food, or produces dense smoke at or above Ringelmann Chart density 2 under § 11-10, it falls back under § 11-5's nuisance ban and the Chapter 1 general penalty: up to a $2,500 fine and six months in jail.

Tucson is more permissive than most cities when it comes to smoker rules. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Tucson 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.

All of the above reflects Tucson's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.