St. Louis County, MO Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Equipment path
- Any grill, rotisserie, or outdoor cooking stove qualifies
- Open-fire path
- 9 sq ft base area, untreated wood or charcoal only
- Smoke rule
- No visible smoke or ash past the property line
- Balcony/multifamily rule
- Not separately addressed; county rule applies countywide
- Max penalty for violation
- $1,000 fine and/or 1 year in county jail
Summary
St. Louis County exempts barbecuing from its countywide open-burning ban as long as the fire is either contained in built cooking equipment, like a grill, rotisserie, or outdoor cooking stove, or otherwise kept under a nine-square-foot base area burning only untreated dry wood or charcoal, with no smoke or ash drifting past the property line.
Preparation of food, such as barbecuing: i. Fires shall either be contained through recreational food preparation equipment, such as a grill, rotisserie, outdoor cooking stove, or other device constructed for the use in outdoor, noncommercial food preparation; or ii. Total cumulative base area of the fire(s) shall not exceed nine (9) square feet; and iii. The fire shall be comprised of only untreated seasoned dry fire wood or charcoal which is free of leaves, needles, yard waste, garbage, rubbish, treated wood, or tree trimmings; and iv. The fire shall not cause smoke, ash, or particulate matter to remain visible in the air or upon surfaces beyond the property line where the fire is occurring.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
345's blanket open-burning ban, structured as two alternative paths to compliance. The first path covers any fire contained in 'recreational food preparation equipment,' the code's phrase for a grill, rotisserie, outdoor cooking stove, or similar device built for outdoor noncommercial cooking; that language covers a propane or natural-gas grill as much as a charcoal kettle grill, since the exception is written around the equipment, not the fuel. The second path covers an open cooking fire that isn't inside built equipment: it must stay within a nine-square-foot cumulative base area and burn only untreated, seasoned dry firewood or charcoal, free of leaves, yard waste, garbage, treated wood, or tree trimmings.
Either way, the fire cannot send visible smoke, ash, or particulate matter drifting past the property line, the same nuisance test applied to recreational fires and yard-waste burning elsewhere in the section. The ordinance doesn't set a distance-from-structure or balcony-specific rule for propane grills the way some municipal fire codes do; St. Louis County's open-burning exception is written countywide and doesn't separately address multifamily balconies, so a condo association's or landlord's lease terms may impose additional restrictions the county code doesn't. 390: up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both, per day of violation.
Violations & Fines
A barbecue fire that isn't contained in a grill, rotisserie, or similar built equipment and that also exceeds the nine-square-foot base area, burns the wrong fuel, or sends visible smoke past the property line loses its exemption and is treated as illegal open burning under Section 612.390: up to $1,000, up to a year in county jail, or both, per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a propane grill on my patio in St. Louis County?
What fuel can I use for an open barbecue fire that isn't in a grill?
Does the county regulate propane grills on apartment balconies specifically?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
Compare St. Louis County to another location·View the Missouri outdoor cooking overview
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