Dothan, AL Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Sec. 38-32(f) sits among the open burning article's list of exceptions and applies without needing prior fire-marshal approval or the 24-hour notice that some other exemptions require. It does not set a printed distance from structures or property lines for grills or outdoor fireplaces the way the code does for leaf burning or contractor warming fires elsewhere in Sec. 38-32; the only substantive limit on the exemption is fuel purity. For propane equipment specifically, the fire prevention code addresses tanks separately in Article III: Sec.

38-52 requires an annual permit only for non-permanent aboveground flammable or combustible liquid storage tanks over 100 gallons, built to NFPA 30 and NFPA 30A and the 2021 International Fire Code. A standard 20-pound consumer grill cylinder holds under five gallons of propane, far short of that 100-gallon trigger, so a typical backyard or patio grill tank does not need its own city permit. The code does not carry a separate balcony-specific or multifamily-specific siting rule for grills beyond these two provisions; any additional restriction on propane storage or use at an apartment complex would come from a property's own lease terms or from the adopted fire code's general storage and clearance requirements administered by the fire prevention division, not from a distinct ordinance section.