La Grange, MO Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 215.196 bans open burning citywide, but Subsection C(2) carves out an exemption for cooking: fires used solely for recreational purposes, ceremonial occasions or for outdoor non-commercial preparation of food are allowed in permitted areas. That means a backyard smoker, grill fire or other open-flame cooking setup is not automatically legal everywhere in La Grange; it qualifies for the exemption only if it sits within one of the permitted areas the City keeps on file at City Hall. A ceremonial cooking fire tied to an event must also be sponsored by a bona fide civic, fraternal, religious, educational or similar organization, per the second sentence of Subsection C(2); a purely private backyard cookout does not need that sponsorship, but it still needs to be within a permitted area.

Even an exempt cooking fire remains subject to Subsection D's general restrictions: it cannot produce smoke that impairs driver visibility, cannot be set up on a City street, alley or sidewalk, cannot burn tires or waste oil, must stay at least twenty feet from any building or structure, and must be attended at all times by someone at least sixteen years old. The section carries the same January 13, 2003 adoption date, Ordinance No. 423, as the rest of the open-burning code, and enforcement rests with the LaGrange Police Department and the Chief Fire Officials.