Charleston, SC Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

The cooking-fire exception in Section 13-10(c)(1) is the narrowest of the open burning exceptions and the one that governs backyard grills, smokers and similar devices used to cook food over an open flame. The device itself must be built for cooking, ruling out an improvised fire on bare ground; the code also bars placing the device beneath or under a residence, including under roof eaves, because of the fire-spread risk to the structure above. Clearance from any combustible material, mulch, wood fencing, dry vegetation, must be at least three feet, a tighter standard than the twenty-five-foot setback that applies to standalone recreational fire pits under subsection (c)(2), because a cooking device is contained rather than an open flame on bare ground.

The fire must be constantly attended until fully extinguished; leaving a lit smoker or grill unattended, even briefly, takes it outside the exception and makes it prohibited open burning under subsection (b). A portable fire extinguisher rated at least 4-A, or equivalent on-site equipment such as dirt, sand, a water barrel or garden hose, must be available for immediate use for as long as the fire burns. 00 under subsection (e).