Tucson, AZ Outdoor Cooking: Outdoor Kitchen Permits (2026)

Tucson Code Chapter 11 regulates outdoor burning as a public-safety matter, not a zoning permit. Sec. 11-5 declares that burning garbage, rubbish, trash, tree prunings or similar materials in open fires, bonfires or incinerators outside a regular building is prohibited and a public nuisance unless specifically permitted. Sec. 11-6 requires anyone who wants to kindle or operate an open fire, bonfire or incinerator to first obtain the permit described in Sec. 11-7, issued by the fire chief after the applicant shows the burning will not send dense smoke, odors, vapors, sparks or fly ash more than 100 feet in areas where buildings sit closer than 100 feet apart; the fire chief must deny the permit if it would create a fire hazard given nearby buildings.

No fee is charged for that permit. Sec. ' That means a built-in outdoor kitchen with a grill, a portable barbecue, or a similar cooking appliance can be used without going through the fire chief's open-burning permit process at all. Sec. 11-9 governs the permits that ARE required (for bonfires, incinerators, and other open burning): each one must specify the address, location, size, type, permitted hours, duration and expiration date, and failing to comply with those specified conditions is itself a violation. All five sections trace back to 1953 Code, ch. 18, § 37a.