Taylor, TX Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Sec. 4 for the City of Taylor to read that charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction. The rule targets the fire risk of grilling on apartment balconies and decks close to wood-frame walls, and it covers charcoal grills, propane grills, and other open-flame cookers alike since the code text is not limited to a single fuel type. Two exceptions narrow the rule: it does not apply to one- and two-family dwellings, so single-family homeowners may grill on their own combustible decks and balconies, and it does not apply where the building, balcony, or deck is protected by an automatic sprinkler system, which covers many newer multifamily properties built under Taylor's sprinkler amendments to Fire Code Section 903.

In practice, a resident of a Taylor apartment or condominium building without sprinklered balconies must keep any grill, propane or charcoal, at least 10 feet from the building's combustible siding or move it off the balcony entirely. The fire code official enforces the standard as part of general fire code enforcement under Sec. 9-66 and Sec. 1, the article adopting and amending the 2018 International Fire Code for Taylor.