Backyard smokers are allowed at single-family New Orleans homes with no city permit. In multi-family buildings the fire code's open-flame cooking limits apply: smokers may not be used or stored on balconies or within 10 feet of the structure. Commercial vending needs separate permits.
There is no New Orleans ordinance banning a residential offset, pellet or charcoal smoker at a private home, and none requires a permit for personal backyard use. The controlling limit is the same open-flame cooking rule the city adopts from the International Fire Code: in buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings, charcoal and open-flame cooking devices — which includes smokers — cannot be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction, and shouldn't be stored there. Keep the smoker outdoors, well clear of the house, fences and overhangs, and manage smoke so it doesn't become a nuisance to neighbors. Anyone selling smoked food to the public needs health-department and fire permits, not a backyard exemption.
Operating a smoker on a multi-family balcony violates the adopted fire code and can draw an NOFD order to remove it; persistent smoke can be pursued as a nuisance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Orleans Parish's smoker rules rules stack up against other locations.
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