Frisco, TX Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Grills covered
- Charcoal, gas, propane, electric grills, smokers, hibachis
- Minimum distance
- 10 feet from apartment building or overhang
- Signage size
- 24 to 30 sq in, quarter-inch bold lettering
- Fine range
- $200 to $2,000 per day violated
- Owner duty
- Written proof of signage filed with city
- Lease disclosure
- Tenants told of ban at move-in
Summary
Frisco makes it unlawful to use any grill, hibachi, or smoker inside an apartment building or within ten feet of one, a rule that covers balconies, patios, and building overhangs. Owners must post approved warning signage on every unit and disclose the ban to tenants in the lease at move-in.
Grillmeans a fixed or portable cooking utensil on which food is exposed directly to red heat or open flame as from heated briquettes, charcoal, electricity, natural gas, propane compressed gas or wood, which is commonly referred to as a barbecue pit, barbecue grill, hibachi or smoker. ... It is unlawful for a tenant, the management or an owner of an apartment house or any other person to use or allow or permit to be used a grill in an apartment house or within ten feet of any part of an apartment house or on or under any portion of the structure of an apartment house. ... Any person violating or failing to comply with any provision of this section shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or portion thereof during which any violation of this article is committed, continued, or permitted and upon conviction of any such violation such person shall be punished by a fine in an amount not less than $200.00 nor more than $2,000.00.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 38, Article V of the Frisco Code, adopted by Ordinance 94-08-04 in 1994, defines 'grill' broadly at Section 38-168 as any fixed or portable cooking device where food is exposed to red heat or open flame, whether from briquettes, charcoal, electricity, natural gas, propane, or wood, expressly covering barbecue pits, barbecue grills, hibachis, and smokers under one term. Section 38-169(a) makes it unlawful for a tenant, management, an owner, or any other person to use, or to allow the use of, a grill inside an apartment house or within ten feet of any part of the building, including under any part of the structure.
Owners carry four affirmative duties: install and maintain approved warning signage on every balcony and patio (38-169(b)), post signage in shared common areas if the building has no patios or balconies (38-169(c)), file written proof with the city that signage is installed on every unit (38-169(d)), and notify each tenant in the lease agreement at move-in that the signage exists (38-169(e)). '
Violations & Fines
Section 38-170 makes any violation a separate offense for each day it continues, punishable by a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $2,000. The prohibition binds tenants, management, and owners alike, so a resident who grills on a balcony and an owner who never installed the required signage can each be cited separately under the same article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can apartment tenants in Frisco use a propane grill on their balcony?
How far from the building must a grill be kept?
What must Frisco apartment owners post about the grill ban?
What's the fine if someone grills on a Frisco apartment balcony anyway?
Does the Frisco grill ban apply to single-family homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frisco
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Frisco to another location·View the Texas outdoor cooking overview
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