Midwest City, OK Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Chapter 15's open burning article prohibits open fires unless the fire department issues a permit, but Sec. 15-101(a) carves out an exemption: outdoor grilling or cooking using charcoal, wood, propane or natural gas in cooking or grilling appliances isn't open burning at all. That means residents and apartment or duplex occupants can fire up a gas or charcoal grill without a burn permit, unlike bonfires, brush piles or burn pits, which still need fire department approval. The exemption sets no separate rules on grill placement, distance from structures or propane tank size, those fall to the adopted 2018 International Fire Code and ordinary fire-safety practice.