Colonie, NY Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 137-16 of the Colonie Town Code, in Chapter 137 (Parks and Recreation), reads in full: "No person shall kindle, build, maintain or use a fire within the confines of any park except in devices designed for that purpose. No person shall remove any grill placed in the park by the Town from the location where placed by the Town to any other location within or without the park. No fuel may be used for any fire in any park grill except charcoal or sterno.

" The rule has three separate commands: fires must stay inside a purpose-built device such as a Town grill or fire pit, that device can't be dragged to a different spot even within the same park, and the only lawful fuel is charcoal or sterno canisters, meaning a propane or natural-gas grill is flatly excluded from any Town park regardless of size or portability. This section governs cooking on Town park property specifically; it does not regulate backyard grills or fire pits on private residential land, which fall outside Chapter 137's scope.

A separate but related rule in Chapter 140 requires any Food Truck with a smoker, grill, griddle or fryer producing "smoke or grease-laden vapors" to obtain a fire-code operating permit from the Town's Building and Fire Services Department before operating anywhere in the Town, under § 140-4(B), showing the Town treats commercial smokers even more strictly than a park cookout. Enforcement of § 137-16 itself runs through the Colonie Police Department and Parks and Recreation Department under § 137-32, with the standard Chapter 137 penalty scheme in § 137-31.