Revere, MA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempted fuel
- Charcoal or briquette only
- Equipment
- Approved cookout receptacle required
- Standard
- Proper precautions, no fixed setback printed
- Wood smokers
- Not exempt, need a fire permit
- Enforcing agency
- Revere Fire Department
Summary
Revere exempts a reasonable charcoal or briquette cookout fire from its outdoor-fire permit requirement, so long as it burns in an approved receptacle with proper precautions.
A. No person shall set, maintain or increase, or allow property owned or under his control to be used to set, maintain or increase, a fire in the open air, or in a barrel, container, on the ground, in an outdoor fireplace, in so-called incinerators, or in any other outdoor receptacle or place without first receiving a written permit to do so to be granted by the chief of the fire department. ... B. This section shall not prevent a person from maintaining a reasonable briquette or charcoal block fire solely for the purpose of an outdoor cookout; provided, that such charcoal fire or briquette fire is in an approved cookout receptacle and proper precautions are used.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4804778; v14 updated 2026-05-04).
Full Breakdown
190(A), requires a written permit from the chief of the fire department before anyone sets a fire in the open air, in a barrel, container, on the ground, in an outdoor fireplace, an incinerator, or any other outdoor receptacle. Subsection (B) carves out backyard cooking from that permit requirement: this section shall not prevent a person from maintaining a reasonable briquette or charcoal block fire solely for the purpose of an outdoor cookout, provided that such charcoal fire or briquette fire is in an approved cookout receptacle and proper precautions are used.
The exception is narrow on three fronts: the fuel has to be charcoal or briquettes, not open wood, which subsection (C) forbids outright; the fire has to sit in an approved cookout receptacle, meaning a grill or similar device rather than a bare pit or barrel; and the operator has to use proper precautions, a standard the Revere Fire Department applies case by case rather than a fixed setback distance printed in the code. 190(C), and needs a written fire department permit rather than relying on the cookout carve-out.
Violations & Fines
A charcoal or briquette cookout that strays outside the exception, burning in an unapproved receptacle, without proper precautions, or with wood fuel instead of charcoal, falls back under the general permit requirement and the open-burning ban of § 8.16.190(A) and (C), enforced by the Revere Fire Department. As with other Chapter 8.16 violations, § 8.16.210 requires written notice and a 72-hour cure period before the city takes action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to grill with charcoal in Revere?
Can I use a wood-fired smoker outdoors in Revere without a permit?
Does Revere set a minimum distance for a charcoal grill from my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Revere
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