Carmel, IN Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Carmel does not publish a rule aimed specifically at smokers, so a smoker is classified by how it operates. A propane or natural gas smoker is treated like a grill and is allowed under the express open burning exception for outdoor propane and natural gas grills. A wood- or charcoal-fired smoker burns solid fuel and is treated as a cooking fire under the City's burning ordinance, which permits campfires for cooking purposes only when they meet the ordinance conditions. That means using only untreated wood and commercial fire-starters (no trash or treated lumber), keeping the fire at least 25 feet from combustible structures and objects and 25 feet from a neighbor's combustibles, and constantly monitoring it with extinguishing means on hand. A contained metal smoker functions as the required non-combustible container, but the fire must still be extinguished if it produces dense smoke, a health hazard, or a downwind nuisance confirmed by a fire official. The Indiana Fire Code adds placement limits: charcoal and other open-flame cooking devices may not be used on combustible balconies or within ten feet of combustible construction, except at one- and two-family dwellings. Carmel does not set cooking hours, but the burning ordinance's nuisance standard effectively governs persistent smoke from a smoker.