Miramar, FL Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Sec. 9-8 of the general code, titled 'Outdoor cooking on balconies of multiple-story buildings,' provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to use barbecue grills or other similar cooking utensils on the balconies, terraces, porches or other open areas of a multiple-story building, unless a designated cooking area has been provided and approved by the fire chief. The rule targets the fire risk of open-flame or propane cooking on stacked, attached balconies typical of Miramar's condo and apartment stock: without an approved designated cooking area, no unit owner or tenant in a multi-story building may fire up a charcoal or propane grill on their balcony, terrace or porch, even if the space is private.

The provision was adopted in 1990 under Ord. No. 90-52, § 14, and sits within Article I of Chapter 9, the same article that houses the city's general open-burning restrictions at Sec. 9-2 and its hazardous-materials permit requirements at Sec. 9-5, both of which reach propane as a listed liquefied petroleum gas requiring its own permit for storage and handling. Because Sec. 9-8 conditions any exception on fire chief approval of a specific designated area, a building owner or condo association wanting to allow balcony grilling must first obtain that sign-off rather than simply posting a house rule; absent it, the default is an outright ban.

Enforcement of Chapter 9 provisions generally runs through the city's code enforcement process referenced elsewhere in the chapter, including citation before the special magistrate and the general municipal penalty of up to $500 per violation under Sec. 1-13/Section 4 of the code, with continuing violations counted daily.