Warren, MI Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 13-56 prohibits operating charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices on or below combustible balconies, or within 10 feet of combustible construction, with exceptions for one- and two-family dwellings and for buildings and decks protected by an automatic sprinkler system. 5 pounds water capacity (nominal 1-pound LP-gas capacity), also carving out one- and two-family dwellings. Division 9, added by Ordinance No. 80-774 in 2019, layers on a separate, stricter rule for enclosed spaces: Section 13-102 defines an open-flame cooking device as any device using an open flame to cook food, including charcoal and propane burners and grills, and a residential garage as any building or part of a building associated with a residential dwelling that was built to store motor vehicles, attached or freestanding.

Section 13-103 flatly prohibits using an open-flame cooking device inside a residential garage or any other enclosed or partially enclosed accessory structure. Section 13-104 provides the only exception: an enclosed or partially enclosed accessory structure specifically intended for open-flame cooking, with all required city permits and permissions, is exempt from the Section 13-103 prohibition. Section 13-101 explains the purpose is preventing fires, explosions, and injury from open-flame devices used inside enclosed accessory spaces.