Supposing I wanted to, say, spit-roast an ox in my back yard. Obviously, this is a little more involved than a simple barbecue, so perhaps checking with the authorities would be a good idea.
Now, I live in San Francisco, which is both a city and a county, so that simplifies things - one assumes the Fire Department has something to say in the matter. But I’m wondering - since I’m fairly clueless about more-than-office and less-than-congressional politics - who else would have jurisdiction here? Are there other city/county agencies that are involved (I’m also curious about places where the two aren’t identical). I would think that the state of California, in some capacity, would get a say, but which agencies? There probably isn’t a Department of Spit-Roasting (DSR) for me to apply to, so who do I need to call up to see if it’s kosher?
I’d start with the Fire Marshal’s office, because they’d be the first to enforce an action involving a fire. Probably the Code Enforcement people would come second.
North Carolina has some rather harsh laws against open burning, but there is always an exception for fires purpose-built for cooking. In The People’s Republic of San Francisco, YMWillV.
Never lived in California, but in all of the places I’ve lived, outside city limits is no problem. Inside city limits have always required a “burn permit” from the city fire department, and the issuance of it depends on the type of fire and the proximity of your neighbors.
If you have a 2 acre parcel of land with neighbors a distance away, then no problem. If you live on a postage stamp lot, in the middle of a drought, with dead and dry foliage nearby, you might have trouble getting it issued.
Since this sounded more like an theoretical inquiry, I’ll add for completeness:
I don’t know about California specifically, but it’s quite possible there are state air pollution laws & regulations about burning (enforced by whatever CA calls its environmental department). As VunderBob said, it’s quite possible that there are exceptions for cooking fires, as these laws are really aimed at trash or brush burning. In some cases, these state regulations may also be federally enforceable (by the U.S. EPA).
I don’t think the EPA will take formal action over a single backyard barbeque (even if it’s a full-ox sized barbeque) of course, but just so you know.
You might also check with the health department. I don’t know where your ox is coming from, but I’ve heard some places have laws against eating roadkill. I don’t know what other animals might fall in that category.
Who said anything about roadkill? I can get dressed and ready to roast whole beef or whole pigs at any specialty butcher/meat packer. I can think of six within 50 miles of home, and I live in the middle of nowhere. SF area should have a lot more than Tidewater VA/NC.
Every time I’ve checked in Minnesota, it’s been the city that sets the rules for open flames in your yard. My current city has all the info posted on their website, so I’d start there.
In San Francisco, it’s more likely to be the postage-stamp size lot with very close neighbors (less than 30 feet?). Aside from the fire marshal, the neighbors may object to the smells from the roasting meat.
Well, it’s sort of half-theoretical - I would like to do some spit-roasting, but I’m also curious about how places (any places, not just SF) work these things out. Because a fire can (especially in dry areas) have impacts waaaaaay outside whatever town you reside in, I’d think there’d be some kind of state-level agency that would like me not to set California on fire, m’kay? If I ever do get my hands on a full ox, I’ll give the Fire Department a call, but in the meantime, feel free to give me less local details.
I thought you’re no longer allowed to burn wood in the Bay Area on account of air pollution rules???
My parents live in Oakland and when I was back in break last December, that’s what they told me. I googled “San Fran wood burning legal” just now and came up with this:
missed the edit window … “Fires set only for cooking of food for human beings, or fires set for recreational purposes using only clean dry wood or charcoal, and a small amount of fire starter” are indeed exempt from air quality regulations, according to Regulation 5.
The most egregious limitations in our city are the CC&R (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions). These are thing that the community comes up with and the city gives them a legal nod. Finding CC&Rs can sometimes be a bit of hassle.