Jersey City, NJ Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Jersey City's Code of Ordinances does not contain a section specific to backyard smokers, pellet grills, ceramic kamado cookers, or wood-fired pizza ovens. At single- or two-family residences (the small minority of the city's housing stock), smoker use is treated as ordinary household activity. Excessive sustained smoke that drifts onto neighboring property may be addressed under: (1) Jersey City Code Chapter 232 (Property Maintenance) nuisance authority; (2) Code Chapter 222 (Noise) if the smoker is paired with amplified music; (3) Hudson County Health Department nuisance authority; and (4) NJ Department of Environmental Protection air-quality rules under N.J.A.C. 7:27 prohibiting smoke that interferes with reasonable enjoyment of property. NJ open-burning rules (N.J.A.C. 7:27-2.2) generally prohibit residential open burning of vegetation and refuse but exempt cooking devices using commercial wood pellets, charcoal, or hardwood. At multi-family buildings - which dominate Jersey City's housing stock - smokers and pellet grills using charcoal or open flame must comply with NJ Uniform Fire Code 308.1.4 (10-ft clearance from combustible construction unless sprinklered). Condo and co-op master deeds and lease addenda routinely impose stricter restrictions including outright prohibitions on balcony cooking. NJ Right-to-Farm Act (N.J.S.A. 4:1C) protects commercial agriculture but does not extend to recreational backyard smokers.