Bloomington, IL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Chapter 4's open-fire article draws a sharp line between waste burning, which is flatly prohibited, and cooking, which is not. Section 4-401(A) makes it unlawful to burn garbage, solid or commercial waste, yard waste, household waste, junk, refuse, rubbish, construction waste, or hazardous waste, or any building or structure, anywhere within the City limits. Subsection (B) then carves cooking out of that ban in a single sentence, stating that the use of outdoor grills and barbecues for cooking is permitted, with none of the container, setback, attendance, or time-of-day conditions the same section imposes on recreational fires and fire pits in Subsections (C) and (D).

That does not make outdoor cooking untouchable: Subsection (F) gives the Fire Chief, the Police Chief, or their designee authority to prohibit any burning, grills included, that becomes a nuisance from complaints about eye or breathing irritation, or that turns hazardous because of atmospheric or local conditions, and to order any fire extinguished that is creating a hazardous or objectionable situation. Subsection (H) sets the penalty for the whole section, open burning and any grill or barbecue use that runs afoul of a Fire or Police Chief order alike, at not less than $50 nor more than $500 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately.