Corpus Christi, TX Outdoor Cooking: Outdoor Kitchen Permits (2026)

The city adopts the 2021 International Fire Code with local amendments at Code of Ordinances Sec. 4 of that adopted code governs open-flame cooking. Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices cannot be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, with three built-in exceptions: one- and two-family dwellings are excluded outright; buildings, balconies and decks protected by an automatic sprinkler system are excluded; and small LP-gas cooking devices, defined as those using a container holding no more than 2 1/2 pounds of water capacity (about a 1-pound nominal LP-gas bottle, the size used on a portable camp grill), are excluded regardless of distance.

The city added a locally-drafted paragraph to this section reaching stoves, ovens and barbecue pits specifically, whether portable, temporary or permanent: none of those may be installed or operated on the premises of multi-family dwellings, apartments, condominiums, attached single-family units, hotels or commercial businesses when located less than 10 feet from any portion of a combustible building, including decks, arches, balconies, walls or verandas. , a properly permitted built-in kitchen appliance installation rather than a portable outdoor unit sitting near combustible walls. There is no separate 'outdoor kitchen permit' process in this chapter; compliance turns on the 10-foot combustible-construction clearance and the three listed exceptions.