Dearborn, MI Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption scope
- One-family detached dwellings only
- Devices covered
- Charcoal, propane, natural gas grills/stoves
- Not covered
- Multifamily buildings, duplexes, condos
- Enforced by
- Fire and police departments
Summary
Dearborn exempts grilling with charcoal, propane, or natural gas grills, braziers, hibachis, and gas-fired stoves from its open-burning ban, but only on the premises of a one-family detached dwelling, per Sec. 10-7(b)(1).
Grilling or cooking food using charcoal cookers, propane or natural gas in cooking or filling appliances, braziers, hibachis, grills, outdoor fireplaces or gas-fired stoves and similar semi-enclosed devices on the premises of a one-family detached dwelling.
(2) Burning for the purpose of generating heat in a stove, furnace, fireplace or other heating device within a building used for human or animal habitation.
(3) The use of propane, acetylene, natural gas, gasoline or kerosene in a device intended for heating, construction or maintenance activities.
(4) The use of non-ash producing fuels being used not less than 15 feet from combustible materials, when used in metal containers for the heating of building materials or for the warmth of workers.
(5) Open burning being used by the fire department in connection with training and performance of its duties.
(c) Definitions.
(1) Clean wood means natural wood which has not been painted, varnished or coated with a similar material, has not been pressure treated with preservatives, and does not contain resins or glues as in plywood or other composite wood products.
(2) Construction and demolition waste means building waste materials, including but not limited to waste shingles, insulation, lumber, treated wood, painted wood, wiring, plastics, packaging, and rubble that results from construction, remodeling, repair, and demolition operations on a house,
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-7 bans open burning citywide, but subsection (b)(1) exempts cooking food on charcoal cookers, propane or natural gas grills, braziers, hibachis, outdoor fireplaces, and gas-fired stoves: as long as the device sits on the premises of a one-family detached dwelling. The exemption is written narrowly: it names one-family detached homes specifically, so a duplex, apartment building, or condominium is not automatically covered, and a cooking device used there can fall back under the general open-burning prohibition in Sec. 10-7(d). The fire department and police department enforce the underlying open-burning section.
Violations & Fines
Grilling covered by the (b)(1) exemption draws no penalty. Cooking devices used outside that exemption fall under the open-burning ban: a civil infraction under Sec. 10-7(h), escalating to a misdemeanor on a third offense within 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grill with a propane or charcoal grill in my Dearborn backyard?
Can apartment residents use a propane grill on a balcony in Dearborn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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