Coon Rapids, MN Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Section 12-419 targets multi-unit residential buildings specifically. In any structure containing two or more vertically stacked residential units, no person may kindle, maintain or cause any fire or open flame on a balcony above ground level, and the same ban extends to a ground-floor patio that sits immediately adjacent to or within 15 feet of any unit. The rule goes beyond active use: Section 12-419(2) also makes it unlawful to simply store fuel, a barbecue, a torch, or other similar heating or lighting chemicals or devices in either of those locations, meaning an unused propane tank left on an apartment balcony violates the section even if it is never lit.

The Fire Code adopted under Section 12-401 governs the storage limits referenced elsewhere in the Chapter, and Section 12-410 separately bans open flame-type heaters, stoves, and welding or torch-cutting equipment in garages that are accessory to a two-or-more-unit residential structure, showing the City's consistent approach of tightening open-flame rules specifically where units share a building. This is a stricter standard than the general recreational fire rule in Section 12-415, which applies to single-family yards with room for a 25-foot setback; multi-unit balconies and adjacent patios simply do not have that buffer, so the City bans open flame there outright rather than trying to regulate a setback that cannot exist.