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

Maple Grove explicitly exempts ordinary cooking grills from its fire-permit system. City Code Sec. 18-78 (Ordinance 20-07) states a recreational fire permit is NOT required to operate barbecue grills that use charcoal, natural gas, propane, or wood chips/pellets as fuel where the purpose of the fire is to cook materials for human consumption. So single-family homeowners can grill in the backyard without a permit. For multi-family settings the rules tighten under Sec. 18-79 (adopting MSFC Appendix O): in any structure more than two stories high containing 15 or more residential units, no person may kindle or use any fire, open flame, or electric heating element above ground level, nor on a ground-level patio, unless the activity is at least 15 feet from all portions of the structure. Charcoal grills devoid of all flammable materials may be kept in a garage, and natural-gas grills are prohibited in those locations unless devoid of fuel containers or permanently plumbed to the building's gas supply and set at least 18 inches from combustibles and residential units. Propane cylinders themselves fall under Sec. 18-94, which bars storing portable LP gas containers inside buildings and requires outdoor storage in an approved locking enclosure. The general prohibition that portable unvented gas-fired patio heaters and fire pits may not be used indoors or inside any enclosure also applies.