Burlington, WI Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Section 155-41B of the Code of the City of Burlington, amended November 4, 2025 by Ordinance No. 2130, sets the placement rule for grills at multifamily and other non-single-family properties. No hibachi, gas-fired grill, charcoal grill or similar device used for cooking, heating or any other purpose may be used or kindled on a balcony or under any overhanging portion of a building. Ground-level grilling is permitted, but the grill must stand at least seven feet from any structure, and the resulting smoke cannot become a nuisance to neighbors or public roadways.

The same subsection separately bars igniting or burning any barbecue grill, kettle, outdoor hibachi or other gas-fueled cooking device, deep fryer or camping stove inside any occupancy, residential or otherwise; household kitchen appliances are excepted. Two further limits apply across all outdoor cooking devices covered by the section: none may be used between midnight and the following sunrise, and no flame may exceed one foot in height over the source fuel at any time. Listed electrical ranges, grills or similar electrical apparatus are permitted without these restrictions.

Because § 155-41 sits in the Fire Prevention chapter, a violation is enforceable through the general citation authority at § 155-54 and penalized under § 155-55A, with each 24-hour period of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.