A backyard smoker is treated as a cooking device, not open burning, so it needs no DNR permit. But like grills, charcoal and gas smokers are banned on balconies and within 15 feet of buildings with three or more units under the Minnesota State Fire Code. Single-family use is unrestricted.
Minnesota's DNR exempts cooking and heating devices from open-burning permits, so a charcoal, pellet, or propane smoker used to cook food does not require a burn permit even when the ground is snow-free. However, the same multi-family fire-code limit that applies to grills applies to smokers: in buildings with three or more units, open-flame or charcoal cooking is prohibited on balconies and within 15 feet of the structure, and some cities allow only listed electric or natural-gas devices with a permit. At a detached single-family home a smoker may be used freely, provided any propane tank over 1 pound is stored outdoors. Dakota County adds no smoker-specific ordinance.
Using a prohibited smoker at a multi-family building is a fire-code violation subject to removal orders and citations. Excessive smoke can also trigger a city nuisance complaint.
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See how Dakota County's smoker rules rules stack up against other locations.
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