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

Eagan City Code § 10.40, Subd. 6.C bars electric, gas, charcoal, or pellet grills, and any open flame, from being used or stored on a balcony above ground level, or on a ground-floor patio within 15 feet of the building, in any structure with three or more dwelling units sharing a hallway or means of egress. Storing propane, a barbecue torch, or similar fuel in those same locations is also prohibited. The only grills the code allows are a permanently mounted electric barbecue grill wired into the building's electrical system, or a permanently mounted gas-fired grill plumbed into the building's natural gas supply, and both must be listed by UL or another recognized testing lab.

Those exception grills must sit in a common area amenity owned or controlled by the property management or association, have a sprinkler or fire suppression element nearby as approved by the fire official, sit over non-combustible flooring and finishes for a five-foot radius with no gaps, keep five feet of clearance from any window or door, and maintain an automatic and emergency shutoff mechanism kept in working order. A minimum 18-inch clearance must be kept on every side of the grill unless the manufacturer's listing allows less. Portable propane and charcoal grills used by tenants on their own balconies in a qualifying multifamily building are not among the permitted exceptions.