Broomfield, CO Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Subsection 4104.2 of the International Fire Code, repealed and reenacted by Broomfield Municipal Code § 15-16-010(Y), bans open-flame cooking devices in specific locations rather than banning grills outright. No gas-fired grill, charcoal grill, or other similar cooking, heating, or general-purpose device may be used or kindled on a balcony, under an overhanging portion of a building, or within ten feet of any structure. The rule targets multifamily buildings where a balcony grill fire can spread to neighboring units, but the city writes in five exceptions.

One- and two-family dwellings, townhomes, and structures built under the International Residential Code are exempt entirely, so a single-family homeowner can grill on a deck or patio without the ten-foot buffer. Buildings, balconies, and decks protected by an automatic sprinkler system are also exempt, as are small LP-gas burners rated no more than 2.5 pounds water capacity, about one pound of gas, and a balcony may store up to two spare one-pound cylinders alongside the burner in use. Listed natural gas appliances tied into the building's gas system and installed to the International Fuel Gas Code, and listed electric ranges, grills, or similar electric cooking apparatus, are permitted on balconies regardless of the sprinkler or setback rule. North Metro Fire Rescue District enforces the section and can order a grill removed from a balcony that does not qualify for an exception.