West Des Moines, IA Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

City Code § 4-3-4 amends International Fire Code section 308.1.11 to control where multifamily residents keep their outdoor cooking equipment between uses. The rule states that cooking devices and propane cylinders cannot be stored inside the living unit of an apartment building or condominium, which in practice pushes grills and their attached tanks onto balconies, patios or other exterior areas rather than into a hallway closet or the unit itself. The section carries an express exception for one and two-family dwellings and townhouses, so the indoor-storage ban is aimed specifically at stacked multifamily housing where a propane leak or grease fire inside a unit threatens neighbors above, below and beside it.

The same amended section also limits multifamily units to one 20-pound propane cylinder attached to the cooking device, and separately bars operating or storing ash- or ember-producing grills within 20 feet of the building, but the indoor-storage prohibition addressed here is its own clause covering where the equipment sits when not cooking rather than how close it can burn to the structure or how many tanks a household may keep. The West Des Moines Fire Prevention Bureau enforces the amended Fire Code, including this storage clause, under City Code § 4-3-2, and can act on complaints or during routine multifamily inspections.