Backyard smokers count as cooking, which is exempt from Pennsylvania's open-burning ban, so they are allowed at Delaware County homes. The PA Fire Code restricts open-flame and solid-fuel cooking on combustible multifamily balconies; single-family use is generally unrestricted.
Wood- and charcoal-fired smokers are cooking devices, so they fall under the cooking exemption to the 25 Pa. Code §129.14 open-burning prohibition rather than the open-burn rules. Delaware County has no smoker-specific ordinance. The Pennsylvania Fire Code (IFC §308) limits open-flame and solid-fuel cooking equipment on combustible balconies and within 10 feet of combustible construction in multifamily buildings, with an exception for one- and two-family dwellings. For a backyard smoker at a single-family home, keep it clear of the house and combustibles, attend it while lit, and follow any active municipal burn ban and neighbor smoke-nuisance rules.
Enforced locally under the PA Fire Code and nuisance ordinances; balcony use in apartments can bring citations, and excessive smoke may draw a municipal nuisance complaint.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Delaware County's smoker rules rules stack up against other locations.
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