Barbecuing is allowed at Hawthorne homes. Outdoor cooking fires must be in a commercially produced container using approved fuels per Municipal Code Section 8.32.070. Standard 20-lb propane BBQ tanks are permitted without a fire-code permit under the adopted California Fire Code Chapter 61. Multifamily balcony grilling is restricted by the fire code.
Outdoor cooking in Hawthorne is governed by Municipal Code Section 8.32.070, which allows cooking fires on private property only in commercially produced containers (or LA County Fire-approved containers) fueled by coal, charcoal briquettes, white gas, natural gas, or liquefied natural gas - a list that covers ordinary charcoal and gas barbecues. Propane supply follows the California Fire Code Chapter 61 (LP-Gas) provisions adopted through the Los Angeles County Fire Code at Section 8.32.060: a standard 20-pound BBQ cylinder is allowed outside a single- or two-family home without a permit, and LP-gas tanks must be stored and used outdoors (indoor storage is limited to small DOT cylinders). For apartments, condominiums, and other multifamily buildings, the California Fire Code (Section 308.1.4, as adopted) generally prohibits operating or storing charcoal/LP-gas grills on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, with limited exceptions - so balcony grilling rules are stricter than for detached homes. Charcoal and wood-smoke from barbecues is also subject to South Coast AQMD rules, though one-off residential cooking is not the District's enforcement focus.
A barbecue that is not in an approved container, uses prohibited fuel, or is operated on a multifamily balcony in violation of the adopted California Fire Code can be ordered shut down by the Los Angeles County Fire Department fire code official and is enforceable under the adopted fire code's administrative penalty provisions (typically fines and/or jail). Apartment residents who grill on combustible balconies may also face lease enforcement. Burning trash or yard waste under the guise of cooking violates SCAQMD Rule 444.
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