Dade City, FL Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 46-4(a)(1)
- Enforcement
- Dade City Fire Rescue
- Banned in any burn
- tires, plastics, building debris, garbage
- Penalty
- citation plus fine per city fine schedule
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2000-0761, Nov. 28, 2000
Summary
Dade City bans open burning citywide, but Code of Ordinances § 46-4 carves out barbecue grills, defined as any device specifically designed for food preparation, as a lawful exception. Grills can't contain prohibited materials like tires, plastics or building debris, and fire rescue can extinguish a hazardous grill fire and bill the owner.
(a)Prohibited. All open burning within the city limits is prohibited with the exceptions of:(1)Barbecue grills. Any device which is specifically designed for food preparation. ... (b)Materials prohibited. Any permitted burn is prohibited from containing tires, rubber materials, tar, railroad crossties, creosoted lumber, plastics, waste, pesticide containers, garbage (food material), building materials or trash. (c)Extinguishment. The city fire rescue and/or the division of forestry may extinguish or cause to be extinguished any fire that is unauthorized or does not comply with this section, or any burn which is deemed to cause a nuisance or hazard to human health, or endanger any property. (d)Assessable costs and fines. Any person responsible for unlawful open burning may be held responsible for any applicable costs involved in controlling and/or extinguishing the fire. Additionally, they may be issued a city citation and be held accountable for paying any fine required by the city fine schedule.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
" That puts ordinary charcoal and propane grills squarely on the lawful side of the line without requiring a burn permit, unlike campfires or land-clearing burns, which do need advance approval from city fire rescue. The exception is not unlimited. Section 46-4(b) bars any permitted burn, grills included, from containing tires, rubber materials, tar, railroad crossties, creosoted lumber, plastics, waste, pesticide containers, food garbage, building materials or trash. If a grill fire becomes unauthorized, noncompliant, or is judged a nuisance or hazard to health or property, Dade City Fire Rescue or the state Division of Forestry can extinguish it under § 46-4(c).
The person responsible can then be billed for suppression costs and issued a city citation with a fine set by the city's fine schedule under § 46-4(d). This provision traces to Code 1956 § 10-7 and was rewritten by Ord. No. 2000-0761 in 2000. It sits in the Code of Ordinances, a separate instrument from the Land Development Regulations; placement distances for grills near structures or balconies aren't specified in this section, so residents with questions about siting should check with the fire marshal's office directly rather than assume a numeric setback exists.
Violations & Fines
Using a grill loaded with prohibited materials, or letting a barbecue fire spread or smolder unattended, takes it outside the § 46-4(a)(1) exception and exposes the responsible person to extinguishment costs plus a city citation and fine under the fine schedule (§ 46-4(d)). Chapter 46's general penalty section treats each continuing day of a fire-code violation as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a propane or charcoal grill in Dade City?
What can't I put in my grill or an open fire?
What happens if my grill fire gets out of control?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dade City
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Dade City to another location·View the Florida outdoor cooking overview
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