Hialeah, FL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

The Hialeah Code of Ordinances does not contain a specific provision addressing residential smokers, pellet grills, offset pits, or wood-fired ovens. At single-family residences, backyard smoking is treated as ordinary residential cooking and is unrestricted. In multi-unit buildings (3+ dwelling units), the FFPC / NFPA 1 §10.10 / IFC §308.1.4 prohibition on open-flame and solid-fuel cooking on combustible balconies applies to smokers — pellet grills, offset pits, and wood-fired ovens are all 'open-flame' or solid-fuel cooking devices for purposes of the code. Smoke that substantially and unreasonably crosses property lines may be addressed under Hialeah's general nuisance provisions in the Code of Ordinances and through Code Enforcement's nuisance authority. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) air quality rules apply only to large industrial sources and do not reach residential smokers. Outdoor burning of yard waste is regulated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service — cooking fires are exempt from open-burning permit requirements. Hialeah's dense residential grid makes smoke-management a neighborly issue; persistent complaints typically result in informal mediation before formal citation.