San Bernardino County, CA Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

San Bernardino County Fire's Outdoor Fire Requirements Guide treats ordinary backyard barbecuing leniently. For residential-style BBQs (gas, propane, or charcoal grills), no permit is required and there is no fee. The key restriction is for multi-family housing: BBQs are prohibited on combustible patios or balconies of multi-family dwellings unless the building is sprinklered, consistent with California Fire Code limits on open-flame cooking on apartment/condo balconies. Commercial restaurant-style BBQs may require a permit. A separate category, the BBQ pit, is an outdoor fire built in the ground with a fuel area no larger than 3 feet wide by 2 feet high, used specifically for cooking over coals; a BBQ pit DOES require a permit (no fee) and must be at least 20 feet from any structure or other combustible materials, burning only clean dry wood or charcoal. BBQ pits are prohibited in Wildfire Risk Areas (Fire Safety Overlay, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, High Fire Hazard Areas, and similar) except within an organized camp with written permission from the Fire Code Official. Propane cylinders used with grills are subject to California Fire Code Chapter 61 storage rules (adopted via Ordinance FPD 23-01), which generally require outdoor storage of larger cylinders. As always, an extinguisher and water supply should be on hand, and grilling should stop in Red Flag conditions and high winds.