Jacksonville Beach, FL Outdoor Cooking: Outdoor Kitchen Permits (2026)

Section 34-611(c) of the Land Development Code lists the accessory uses and structures permitted in the RS-1 single-family district and ties the list to section 34-716. The list names swimming pools, tennis courts and similar recreational facilities; detached garages and carports; utility sheds and workshops; boat houses, docks and piers; doghouses; gazebos and cabanas; non-commercial television and radio antennas not exceeding fifteen feet above roof line; outdoor kitchens at item (8); and vegetable gardens and non-commercial greenhouses. The RS-2, RS-3, RM-1 and RM-2 sections each repeat the outdoor kitchen entry in their own accessory lists.

The phrase outdoor kitchen appears in the Code of Ordinances only in those five accessory lists, so the city prints no separate outdoor kitchen permit schedule, fee or application. What the code does print is placement. Under section 34-611(e)(1)h, accessory structures are located only in a side or rear yard, not forward of the dwelling along any street frontage, and are set back a minimum of five feet from any property line or principal or accessory structures.

Section 34-716 adds the general tests. Accessory uses are permitted in all zoning districts provided they are customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to a permitted use and sit on the same lot, or a contiguous lot in the same ownership. Detached accessory structures stay no closer than five feet from any interior lot line, street side and front yard setbacks are maintained on corner lots, and air conditioning equipment projects no more than three feet into a required yard in a residential district. The section 34-716(c) list of residential accessory uses includes barbecue pits, caps height at fifteen feet, limits the combined ground floor area of enclosed detached accessory buildings to six hundred twenty-five square feet, and rules out the conduct of business of any kind.

The fire code governs the cooking equipment itself. Section 10-4.01(d) allows cooking fires in approved containers, charcoal, gas or electric barbecue grills and patio heaters at one- and two-family dwellings if they are used in accordance with their listing, applicable codes, recommended fuel and the manufacturer's instructions, and not around combustible material or in a way that creates a nuisance or other hazard.