New York, NY Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

6. 4-ounce LPG containers may be stored or used on the premises at all: the 20-pound canister common at hardware stores is not permitted anywhere in an apartment building, including balconies, terraces and rooftops. 4-ounce cylinders is capped at four per dwelling unit, whether or not they are being used for grilling. 4-ounce or 20-pound LPG containers, and up to two 20-pound tanks may be used to run a single grill. 2 draws a hard line on where a 20-pound tank can sit: it 'shall not be stored or used indoors, or on any rooftop or balcony,' full stop, regardless of occupancy type.

3: the grate area cannot exceed 10 square feet, and the unit cannot be stored or used within 10 feet of combustible waste, combustible material or a combustible building surface, including a wood roof or deck. Nearby windows and doors are supposed to stay closed while the grill is lit, and any entrance door within that 10-foot radius must be closed immediately after anyone passes through it. 4 also requires either a garden hose hooked to a live water supply or a portable fire extinguisher rated at least 4-A within reach any time the barbecue is burning.

Natural-gas-piped barbecues are exempt from the LPG container rules but their gas piping still has to be designed and installed under the Fuel Gas Code. These standards took their current form as part of the citywide Fire Code, which the Department of Buildings and FDNY jointly administer, with FDNY handling field inspections and complaint response for LPG storage and open-flame cooking.