Charcoal and wood smokers are treated as open-flame cooking devices. At single-family homes they are allowed as attended cooking fires; at apartments and condos they may not be used or stored on balconies or within 15 feet of the building.
Baltimore County treats backyard smokers like other open-flame cooking devices under its fire code. Cooking fires such as campfires, broilers, grills and hibachis are permitted but must be attended by an adult, and the same 15-foot multifamily clearance that applies to grills applies to smokers: at apartments and condos they may not be used, stored, or kindled on any balcony, patio, under an overhang, or within 15 feet of the building. Single-family and duplex residents may run a smoker in their yard as an attended cooking fire, keeping it clear of structures, overhangs and flammable materials until fully out.
Operating a smoker on a multifamily balcony or within 15 feet of the building violates the county fire code; leaving any cooking fire unattended can draw a Fire Marshal citation and order to extinguish.
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