Royal Oak, MI Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 340-5 of the Fire Prevention chapter, part of the 2015 International Fire Code as locally amended, governs what residents may burn in an outdoor smoker, grill, or fire pit at home. Subsection C restricts fuel for a "residential outdoor fire" to natural gas, propane (LPG), or commercially available charcoal or charcoal briquettes, and separately bars using the fire for waste disposal. That means a backyard smoker fired with hardwood logs, scrap lumber, or leaf litter does not meet the approved-fuel list; only gas, propane, or store-bought charcoal or briquettes qualify.

The rule sits next to § 340-5B's broader ban on open burning of fuel, garbage, or combustible refuse such as leaves, brush, tree trimmings, and grass, so an outdoor cooking fire that strays into burning yard debris or trash violates both provisions. A resident who wants to burn wood or another fuel not on the approved list for an occasional fire can instead seek a special-occasion permit from the Fire Chief under § 340-5D, who may approve it after finding it will not create a hazard or nuisance to neighboring property, and may attach conditions and a cost-recovery fee.

The Royal Oak Fire Department enforces the chapter; § 340-6 makes a violation of any provision of the article, fuel restrictions included, punishable by a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both, at the court's discretion.