Anchorage, AK Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

AMC Title 15 (Anchorage Fire Code) adopts the 2018 International Fire Code with local amendments and is enforced by the Anchorage Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau (267-4901) under deferred authority from the Alaska State Fire Marshal (AS Title 18.70). IFC Section 308.1.4 prohibits, in any building containing three or more dwelling units: open-flame cooking devices (charcoal grills, wood-burning grills, traditional propane grills with cylinders over 1 lb), and any such device used within 10 feet of combustible construction — defined to include combustible walls, eaves, soffits, overhangs, balcony floors or ceilings above, wood railings, fences, and similar features. The Anchorage Fire Department has publicly emphasized that residential complexes have suffered severe damage from balcony cooking-device fires and actively enforces this rule. Exceptions per IFC §308.1.4: (1) one- and two-family dwellings (the rule does not apply to duplexes or single-family homes); (2) buildings or balconies served by a listed automatic sprinkler system (NFPA 13 or 13R); (3) listed electric grills; (4) listed LP-gas grills with non-refillable cylinders not exceeding 1 lb (typical 'tabletop' camp-stove style). NFPA 58 governs propane storage: cylinders over 1 lb must be stored outdoors, upright, with valves protected, away from heat sources. At single-family homes, backyard grilling is unrestricted by city code. Anchorage's cold-climate context: propane vaporization rate drops at sub-zero temperatures common Nov-March, and proper tank placement away from snow accumulation is recommended for winter operation. Wildland fire restrictions: the Alaska Division of Forestry may issue burn-permit restrictions during dry summer periods affecting open burning but typically not contained propane grilling.