Wellington, FL Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

Section 14-22 of the Code of Ordinances, Village of Wellington, governs cooking fires inside Village parks, from the main Village Park to the smaller neighborhood parks scattered through the equestrian community. The Parks and Recreation Director designates where picnicking is allowed, and picnickers cannot set up outside those designated areas. Individual grills and picnic tables operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but any group of ten or more people that wants a picnic pavilion must apply for a permit in advance under Sections 14-9 through 14-12, which let the Director attach conditions such as insurance, security deposits, or extra sanitation facilities, and let the Village Manager hear an appeal if the Director denies a permit.

Open fires, meaning a fire built directly on the ground or in an unapproved container, are prohibited throughout Village parks except where the Director specifically designates a fire area. Barbecue grills and similar devices are expressly exempted from that open-fire ban, so residents can bring a grill to a Village picnic without seeking a fire permit. That exemption is not absolute: the Parks and Recreation Department can prohibit any grill or similar device it decides is unsafe or hazardous. The rule sits in Chapter 14, Article III, Division 3, alongside a cleanup duty requiring picnickers to bag and dispose of trash before leaving, or carry it out if no receptacle is provided.

Because Section 14-22 speaks only to Village-owned park property, it does not reach smokers or grills on private residential lots; those fall instead under the Florida Building Code provisions Wellington administers through Chapter 5.