TO GRILL OR NOT TO GRILL, THAT IS THE QUESTION

Posted: Jul 03, 2020
By: RS4ROYALE
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TO GRILL OR NOT TO GRILL, THAT IS THE QUESTION

by Steven J. Weil, Ph.D., EA, LCAM, Royale Management Services, Inc.

Summer is upon us, and in between preparing for possible hurricanes, dealing with the kids home from school, and planning for the summer holidays, many of us are feeling the heat and want to get out of the kitchen. We want to grill our food, especially on the 4^th of July.

However, the State of Florida has rules about that. If you live in a Florida condominium, you will want to think twice about grilling on your balcony. Florida Statutes require that every three years a new edition of the Florida Fire Prevention Code must be adopted; and at the end of 2017, the Sixth Edition of the Code permitted the use of certain electric grills which had been previously prohibited.

Here’s what the old rule said:

With respect to cooking equipment, Section 10.10.6.1 prohibits using or kindling “hibachis, grills, or other similar devices for cooking, heating, or any other purpose on any balcony, under any overhang portion, or within 10 ft (3m) of any structure, other than in one and two-family dwellings.”

Here’s what the new rule says:

Section 10.10.6.1.1 allows “listed electric portable, tabletop grills, not to exceed 200 square inches of cooking surface, or other similar apparatus.” In other words, if you have a qualifying cooking apparatus that is sanctioned by the Code, you can now grill on your balcony! What does “listed” mean? It means that United Laboratories (UL) has tested representative samples of the product and determined that it meets UL’s requirements. For a product to become UL Listed, it must go through several tests and meet high safety standards.

But there’s still a catch:

If your association has adopted any rules that run counter to the minimum requirements of the Code and impose stricter requirements, those rules then apply. Check with the Board, check the association’s bylaws, check the association rules and regulations, and then think before you grill!

Many times, the main problem is not the grill, but the smoke that causes a nuisance to other owners. Smoke can become the real issue rather than the size of the apparatus. The last thing you want is to have the fire department arrive because a neighbor smelled smoke coming from your balcony and thought there was a fire. Happy grilling!