Jackson, MS Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Jackson does not regulate residential smokers, pellet grills, offset smokers, or wood-fired pizza ovens through municipal ordinance. At single-family detached homes, these devices are legal without permit. The International Fire Code adopted via Code Ch. 58 requires that commercially manufactured cooking devices maintain manufacturer-specified clearance from combustible construction, and IFC §308.1.4 prohibits open-flame cookers — including wood-burning and pellet smokers — on combustible balconies in buildings of three or more dwelling units (sprinklered buildings excepted). Mississippi does not operate residential wood-burning No-Burn Day programs like California's SCAQMD Rule 444; the only periodic restrictions on outdoor burning come from the Mississippi Forestry Commission's drought-related burn bans under Miss. Code Ann. §49-19-313, which restrict outdoor open burning of yard debris and similar fires but generally do not apply to enclosed-firebox smokers and grills. Continuous smoke that drifts across a property line and substantially interferes with a neighbor's use and enjoyment of their property may be pursued as a private nuisance under Mississippi common law (see, e.g., Comet Drilling Co. v. Tri-State Wholesale Co. and the Restatement (Second) of Torts §822 line of cases) or cited under City nuisance provisions in the Code of Ordinances. Smoker blower or fan noise is subject to the City noise ordinance (Jackson Code provisions on sound; see also the Mississippi Insurance Department / State Fire Marshal Part 7 noise framework for context). HOAs and subdivision restrictions under Mississippi restrictive-covenant law may impose stricter rules.