McKinney, TX Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

There is no provision in the McKinney Code of Ordinances specifically addressing residential smokers, pellet grills, offset pits, or wood-fired ovens at single-family or two-family homes. Standard backyard smoking is treated as ordinary residential cooking and is not regulated. At multi-family buildings (3+ dwelling units), IFC §308.1.4 — adopted via the McKinney Fire Code — extends to smokers because pellet grills, offset pits, and wood-fired ovens are all 'open-flame' or solid-fuel cooking devices and are prohibited on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction. Smoke that substantially and unreasonably crosses property lines may be addressed under the McKinney Code of Ordinances nuisance provisions, with enforcement by Code Services. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulates outdoor air quality but only for industrial and commercial sources, not residential cookers. TCEQ Ozone Action Days in the Dallas-Fort Worth nonattainment area (which includes Collin County) are advisory only and do not impose binding restrictions on residential smokers, though TCEQ encourages voluntary reductions on high-ozone days. Within the Historic Preservation Overlay, permanent smoker installations may face design-review considerations.