Sherman, TX Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

The barbecue pit rule printed in the Sherman Code of Ordinances sits in article 3.09, Manufactured Housing, Mobile Homes and Travel Trailers, and applies inside licensed parks. Section 3.09.007(d)(3) covers cooking shelters, barbecue pits, fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and incinerators and sets four duties. They must be located, constructed, maintained and used so as to minimize fire hazards and smoke nuisance. No open fire shall be permitted except in approved facilities. No open fire shall be left unattended. And no fuel shall be used and no material burned which emits dense smoke or objectionable odors.

The last duty is the one that matters to a wood or charcoal smoker: smoke that turns dense or carries objectionable odors is a violation of the park standard. Section 3.09.008(h) repeats the same wording for travel trailer parks under the heading Barbecue pits; fireplaces; stoves; incinerators. Responsibility is split. In a mobile home park, § 3.09.007 makes the park occupant responsible for complying with the article and for keeping the space, facilities and equipment in good repair and in a clean and sanitary condition.

In a travel trailer park, the licensee or agent must operate the park in compliance with the article and tell occupants about their duties. The building official issues the construction permit for a park under § 3.09.002 and is authorized under § 3.09.004 to make the inspections needed to determine compliance. For fires that are not cooking facilities, the fire code in § 3.04.001 separately sets a 100 foot distance for recreational fires and prohibits bonfires.