Dubuque, IA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Under amended Section 308.1.4 of the Dubuque Fire Code, adopted at City Code section 14-1E-2 as part of the 2021 International Fire Code amendments, charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices "shall not be located, stored, or operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3,048 mm) of combustible construction." Three exceptions narrow the rule considerably: one- and two-family dwellings are exempt outright; buildings, balconies, and decks protected by an automatic sprinkler system are exempt; and small LP-gas cooking devices with an LP-gas container holding no more than 2 1/2 pounds water capacity (about 1 pound of LP-gas) are exempt regardless of setback.

In practice this means the rule bites hardest on apartment and condominium balconies in unsprinklered buildings, where a charcoal grill or full-size propane grill cannot be used or stored on the balcony itself and must sit at least 10 feet from the building. The Dubuque Fire Code is adopted by reference at section 14-1E-1 and administered by the fire code official, with required operational permits issued under amended Section 105.5 for the activities the code lists; using premises for a permit-required activity without first obtaining that permit is unlawful under this title.

Address identification, key box, and other life-safety amendments sit in the same article, reflecting the fire department's broader access and identification requirements for the buildings this setback rule protects.