Costa Mesa, CA Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Portable cooking equipment gets its own carve-out in Costa Mesa's Fire Code. 6, adopted under Municipal Code § 7-15, states an outright exception: 'Barbeques, grills, and other portable devices intended solely for cooking' are not subject to the outdoor fireplace and fire pit regulations that otherwise govern Group R occupancies, meaning a homeowner grilling on a patio or balcony faces no Fire Code clearance or approval requirement for that equipment. That exemption does not extend to fixed gas-fueled fire features. 1 requires any outdoor fireplace, fire pit or similar device fueled by natural gas or liquefied-petroleum gas to be approved by the Building Department and designed to burn only a gas flame, never wood or other solid fuel.

Clearance is measured from the atmospheric column rising vertically from the device: combustible construction and vegetation must stay at least 3 feet away at single-family and duplex (R-3) properties, and at least 10 feet away at other residential occupancies such as apartment complexes. A Building Department-approved hood and vent lets combustible construction encroach on that column between the hood's bottom and the vent opening, and any chimney or vent installed on the device must carry a spark arrester as defined in Section 202 of the Fire Code.

Because the rule is keyed to fuel type and device design rather than location, a gas-fueled built-in fire feature on a multifamily patio or balcony is held to the same 10-foot standard as one at ground level.