Gretna, LA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Gretna's open-burning ordinance, City Code Chapter 24 Article II, starts from a blanket prohibition: Sec. 24-25 makes it unlawful for anyone to burn refuse or kindle an open fire in any public or private place outside any building. Sec. 24-24, however, lists three permissible exceptions, and the first covers outdoor cooking directly: fires may be used for the cooking of food, along with recreational open fires such as campfires and wood-burning fireplaces or stoves used to heat a residence or other establishment. Each exception carries the same condition: the fire must not create a nuisance. That means a backyard smoker, grill fire, or fire pit used to cook food is lawful in the City of Gretna without a permit, but if smoke, odor, or sparks become a nuisance to neighbors, the exception no longer protects the fire-user.

The article's stated purpose, Sec. 24-21, is to protect the open air and promote the health, safety and welfare of Gretna's citizens and their property. The code enforcement official administers the article under Sec. 24-22, with authority to issue orders, make nuisance findings subject to city council review in open session, and take any action necessary to implement the open-burning policy. Sec. 24-23 gives the code enforcement official the right to enter and inspect any property or premises at a reasonable time to check compliance.

Because Chapter 24 sets no separate fine for a burning violation, an unlawful open fire, or a cooking fire that becomes a nuisance, falls back to the general penalty in Sec. 1-8: a fine of up to $500.00, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Notice of any citation must be given under Sec. 2-1 before a hearing.