Springfield, IL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed fuel
- Clean, dry firewood or charcoal only
- Wind limit
- No open fires above 20 mph winds/gusts
- Safety gear
- Fire extinguisher required at the fire site
- Leaf burning
- Banned citywide under § 94.70(b)
- Penalty
- $100-$1,000 fine per day, § 94.999
- Enforcement
- Springfield Fire Department fire safety division
Summary
Springfield bans open fires citywide but exempts backyard barbecue grills and cooking fires under City Code § 94.70(a). Fuel is limited to clean, dry firewood or charcoal, the fire must stay small enough not to endanger nearby property, sit a safe distance from combustibles, and have a fire extinguisher on hand. All open burning, grills included, is banned whenever wind tops 20 miles per hour.
No person shall kindle or maintain any fire or authorize any fire to be kindled or maintained on or in any street, alley, road, land, or public grounds, or on any private lot. This section shall not apply to the use of fire for preparing food on a barbecue grill or the use of an open fire on private property or other locations approved for cooking fires or recreational fires; provided such fire may only utilize clean, dry firewood or charcoal and be of such size so as not to endanger property in the immediate area. This shall be kept a distance away from combustibles and have a fire extinguisher or other method of extinguishment at the site. Open fires during high winds in excess of 20 miles per hour, or gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour or during other times of high fire danger shall not be permitted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 82).
Full Breakdown
70 of Chapter 94 (Fire Safety), Article VII, bans kindling or maintaining any fire on a street, alley, road, public grounds, or private lot within Springfield, but subsection (a) specifically exempts barbecue grills and cooking fires on private property, and other approved cooking or recreational fire locations. To qualify, the fire must burn only clean, dry firewood or charcoal, stay small enough not to endanger nearby property, be kept a distance from combustibles, and have a fire extinguisher or other extinguishing method at the site.
No open fire of any kind, including a grill, may burn during winds exceeding 20 miles per hour, gusts over 20 mph, or other periods of high fire danger. Subsection (b) separately bans leaf burning anywhere within city limits. Subsection (f) prohibits burning trash, garbage, furniture, demolition or construction debris, landscape waste, dimensional lumber, and wood or plastic pallets outright, regardless of location. Prairie-grass restoration burns require a fire code official's approval plus an Illinois EPA open-burning permit under subsection (c), and ceremonial bonfires for churches, schools, and organizations need fire code official approval and a city fire marshal permit with a site plan under subsection (e).
Subsections (g) and (h) allow factory-built, laboratory-certified gas or wood-burning appliances used per manufacturer instructions, provided the wood-burning chamber stays enclosed. The fire safety division of the Springfield Fire Department enforces this article and can order a noncompliant fire extinguished on the spot. Anyone who transports, deposits, or allows a prohibited item to be burned on another's property, with or without consent, is separately in violation under subsection (d).
Violations & Fines
Violating any part of § 94.70, including grilling or lighting a cooking fire during high winds, burning prohibited debris, or holding an unapproved bonfire, is punishable under the Article IX penalty provision, § 94.999: a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate, punishable offense, and the fire safety division can order an unlawful fire extinguished immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a charcoal or wood grill in my Springfield backyard?
Is there a wind restriction on grilling or cooking fires?
What happens if I violate the open-fire rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
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