Backyard barbecues are allowed in Montebello, but the 2019 California Fire Code, adopted as Municipal Code Chapter 15.32, restricts where charcoal and propane grills may be used near apartments and combustible balconies. The city's own Fire Department enforces the rules.
Montebello enforces the 2019 California Fire Code as Chapter 15.32 of its Municipal Code (MMC 15.32.010) through the independent Montebello Fire Prevention Bureau. At detached single-family and two-family homes, gas and charcoal barbecues are freely allowed in the backyard. The key restriction is multifamily housing: Fire Code Section 308.1.4 provides that charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices may not operate on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction. That rule exempts one- and two-family dwellings and fully sprinklered buildings, and allows LP-gas devices with a container 2.5 pounds or less. So apartment residents generally cannot use a charcoal grill or full-size propane barbecue on a wooden balcony. Standard 20-pound cylinders are allowed at homes under Chapter 61.
Using a charcoal or non-exempt propane grill on a combustible apartment balcony or within 10 feet of combustible construction, in an unsprinklered building, violates Fire Code Section 308.1.4 as adopted by MMC 15.32 and is citable by the Fire Department.
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