Boca Raton, FL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 7-29 of the Boca Raton Code of Ordinances regulates the use of "outdoor cooking appliances," a term the ordinance defines broadly as any portable or non-portable cooking appliance, grill, stove, or smoker fueled or powered by electricity, wood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, alcohol, or any other liquid or gaseous fuel used or intended to be used outdoors. The rule applies to virtually every building type in the city: condominiums, apartment complexes, hotels, and commercial buildings are all covered. The ordinance carves out only two exceptions from coverage entirely: two-family (duplex) dwellings of one-story design, and single-family detached homes.

Everywhere else, Section 7-29(3) sets a hard clearance: an outdoor cooking appliance cannot be used less than 20 feet from the exterior wall of any building or structure. The section also excludes commercial cooking appliances that meet NFPA 96, the standard for restaurant kitchen exhaust systems, since those already fall under a separate fire code regime. The 20-foot line exists to keep smoke, sparks, and grease flare-ups away from combustible siding, overhangs, and adjoining units in the dense condo and apartment stock that makes up much of the city's housing.