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Sheboygan, WI Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified November 2026

Key Facts

Distance from buildings
Not nearer than ten feet to any building
Supervision
Constant supervision required
Burner construction
Substantial burner of metal, concrete or brick
Approval
Chief inspector of the bureau
Catch-all penalty
$100.00 to $200.00 plus costs (§ 50-1(c))

Summary

Sheboygan's code never uses the word smoker, but it regulates burning wood to cook food outdoors. Wood or other nonexplosive fuel can be burned for cooking only under constant supervision, not nearer than ten feet to any building, in a substantial metal, concrete or brick burner approved by the chief inspector of the bureau.

(b) No person shall kindle, start or maintain a fire in the open air within the corporate city limits except as provided in section 50-182 . ... Open burning is prohibited with the following exceptions: ... (5) Fires set for outdoor cooking with the following exceptions: a. Wood or other nonexplosive fuel may be burned for the purpose of cooking or preparing foods, only under constant supervision, not nearer than ten feet to any building, in a substantial burner built of metal, concrete or brick as approved by the chief inspector of the bureau.

View official code

Full Breakdown

Sheboygan has no section titled for smokers. The provision that governs burning wood to cook food is section 50-182(5)(a), which sits inside the city's open burning division. Section 50-181(b) first prohibits anyone from kindling, starting or maintaining a fire in the open air within the corporate city limits except as provided in section 50-182. Subsection (5) of section 50-182 then makes an exception for fires set for outdoor cooking.

Under paragraph (a), wood or other nonexplosive fuel may be burned for the purpose of cooking or preparing foods, and the code attaches four conditions. The fire must be under constant supervision. It must be not nearer than ten feet to any building. It must be in a substantial burner built of metal, concrete or brick. And that burner must be as approved by the chief inspector of the bureau, which refers to the bureau of fire prevention within the fire department.

Gas-fueled cooking equipment is treated in its own paragraphs. Under paragraph (b), propane fueled appliances and burners cannot be used above the first floor level of any porch or deck attached to a building or structure, and under paragraph (c) natural gas outdoor cooking appliances must be approved and mounted on a noncombustible post. Neither of those paragraphs carries the ten-foot figure.

Because the ten-foot rule is measured to any building, it covers the cook's own house, a garage and a neighbor's structure alike. Anyone burning wood to cook who wants to know whether a particular cooker counts as a substantial, approved burner has to get that approval from the chief inspector of the bureau, since the code makes that official the approving authority.

Violations & Fines

Chapter 50 prints no separate penalty for section 50-182(5), so the catch-all in section 50-1(c) applies: a fine of not less than $100.00 or more than $200.00 plus the costs of prosecution, jail of up to 30 days if the fine and costs go unpaid, and a separate offense for each 24 hours the violation continues. Section 50-1(b) sets the same range for failing to comply with an order of the chief of the fire department or the chief inspector of the bureau.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sheboygan have a rule written specifically for smokers?
No. The code does not use the word smoker. The provision that covers burning wood to cook food outdoors is section 50-182(5)(a), which applies to wood or other nonexplosive fuel burned for the purpose of cooking or preparing foods. Gas-fueled cookers fall under paragraphs (b) and (c) of the same subsection.
How far from the house does a wood-fired cooker have to be?
Section 50-182(5)(a) says the fire must be not nearer than ten feet to any building. The distance applies to every building, not just the cook's own home, and it comes with the requirements of constant supervision and a substantial burner built of metal, concrete or brick.
Who approves the burner?
Section 50-182(5)(a) requires the burner to be approved by the chief inspector of the bureau. Section 50-1(b) names the chief inspector of the bureau alongside the chief of the fire department as the officials whose orders under chapter 50 must be obeyed, with a fine of not less than $100.00 or more than $200.00 for noncompliance.
Can I leave a wood-fueled cooking fire burning unattended?
No. Section 50-182(5)(a) allows wood or other nonexplosive fuel to be burned for cooking or preparing foods only under constant supervision. A fire left alone falls outside the exception, and section 50-181(b) then leaves it as a prohibited fire in the open air within the corporate city limits.

Sources & Official References

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All Sheboygan rules

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