Santa Fe, NM Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Table 14-6.1-1 sorts every land use in Santa Fe into three categories: 'P' for permitted by right, 'S' for special use permit, and 'A' for accessory use. 'Private barbecue pits, private swimming pools' carries an 'A' designation, meaning the code treats a backyard grill or fire pit the same way it treats a home's swimming pool: allowed automatically as an accessory to the house, without a separate zoning permit, as long as it stays clearly incidental and subordinate to the residential use on the lot, the general accessory-use standard set out in Section 14-6.1(B)(3) and Section 14-6.3.

The 'A' mark applies across the RR, R-1 through R-9, R7(I), RC-5, RC-8, R-10 through R-29, RAC, AC, C-1, C-2, C-4, HZ, BCD and MU districts; the code leaves the cell blank, meaning prohibited, in the MHP, I-1, BIP, SC-1, SC-2 and SC-3 districts. Because a barbecue pit is an accessory use rather than a listed principal use, it does not get its own setback or placement table in Chapter 14; instead it falls under the general rule that accessory structures follow the same yard and height standards as the principal structure they serve, per Note 14 of Table 14-7.2-1.

A propane or charcoal grill's fuel storage and open flame are separately subject to the 2021 International Fire Code as adopted in Chapter 12, which the fire department enforces on top of the zoning classification.