Miami, FL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Miami has no City of Miami ordinance specifically addressing residential smokers, pellet grills, offset pits, or wood-fired ovens. At single-family residences in T3 transect zones, backyard smoking is treated as ordinary residential cooking and is unrestricted. In multi-unit buildings (3+ dwelling units), the FFPC / NFPA 1 §10.10.6 / IFC §308.1.4 prohibition on open-flame cooking on combustible balconies extends to smokers — pellet grills, offset pits, and wood-fired ovens are all 'open-flame' or solid-fuel cooking devices. Smoke that substantially and unreasonably crosses property lines may be addressed under Miami Code Chapter 36 (Noise & Nuisance) or the general nuisance authority of Code Compliance. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) air quality rules apply only to large industrial sources and do not reach residential smokers. Outdoor burning of yard waste is regulated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Burn Permit program — but cooking fires are exempt. Air-quality-sensitive Miami days (Sahara dust events, wildfire smoke from elsewhere) may trigger county-level health advisories, but these are advisory rather than prohibitive.