Are your neighbors sick of your ongoing smoke?

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cmayna

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
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Jun 23, 2012
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1,697
SF Bay Area, CA
I have one neighbor who has asked me to let her know when I fire up the smoker so she can close her windows.  I now wonder if my other neighbors are getting tired of smelling the smoke?   Can I assume that there might be city or county laws about this?  Maybe I need to move way out into the country with no neighbors.
 
Hmmm, smoke of any sort seems to offend some these days. Like a short hit of second hand smoke will take years off their lifespan. I, personally, prefer no neighbors...LOL....having only one these last 8 years where I now live suits me just fine. There might be some city/county ordinance involved...I mean, isn't there a law against everything? The smoke police could be knocking on your door any minute....might wanna have some PP ready on a slider for them. To quote/paraphrase Mark Twain....'the older I get the more I prefer the company of a good dog'....Willie

P.S. Maybe make her a rack of ribs?? gnawing on a good smoked bone might alter her thinking....just sayin'
 
I live in a very small town down in Cajun country.  Our lil neighborhood is maybe 6 blocks all sides with Cane field bordering.  Firing up a pit around here has the opposite effect.  Any guy in the 'hood' that smells smoke usually walks over to check it out and possibly score a beer.  I am guilty of this as well and if I smell smoke coming from one of the houses I usually head over to check it out.  Quite often we will wind up going home and getting something to add to the pit.  One neighbor has a homemade smoke house and before firing it up he calls me, to see if I got anything that needs smoking.  I guess I am blessed.  last month I had the pit smoking like in the pic and the blues on the out door speakers and my elder neighbor lady hollered from across the fence "Hey Cappy, turn it up and what we havin for dinner"
 
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I live in a very small town down in Cajun country.  Our lil neighborhood is maybe 6 blocks all sides with Cane field bordering.  Firing up a pit around here has the opposite effect.  Any guy in the 'hood' that smells smoke usually walks over to check it out and possibly score a beer.  I am guilty of this as well and if I smell smoke coming from one of the houses I usually head over to check it out.  Quite often we will wind up going home and getting something to add to the pit.  One neighbor has a homemade smoke house and before firing it up he calls me, to see if I got anything that needs smoking.  I guess I am blessed.  last month I had the pit smoking like in the pic and the blues on the out door speakers and my elder neighbor lady hollered from across the fence "Hey Cappy, turn it up and what we havin for dinner"
I just fell in love with your neighborhood and the lady across the fence would need to come on over and bring a sixer...lol  I live in Omaha, NE and have neighbors all around me with no complaints and I have bon fires in my fire pit twice a month if not more when it is cool (not hot or freezing cold) and I have gotten no complaints yet.  Lucky I guess.
 
 
I have one neighbor who has asked me to let her know when I fire up the smoker so she can close her windows.  I now wonder if my other neighbors are getting tired of smelling the smoke?   Can I assume that there might be city or county laws about this?  Maybe I need to move way out into the country with no neighbors.
I think that one neighbor of yours has a pathetic life.  How bad can it possibly be?  And who doesn't like the smell of wood smoke?  Although, the city where I live does ban the use of outdoor wood burning furnaces.  Too much smoke.  I personally love the smell of it.
 
Sounds like your neighbor asked nicely. My wife tells me to close our windows on that side of the house when I fire up the smoker. While I like the smell outside who really wants their house smelling like smoke. Especially when the dont get to eat the Q
 
When we have a bon fire the inside of our house smells like the joint burned down but it just reminds us of good old camping nights.
 
I live in the middle of my two acres surrounded by folks that have 5x that or more apiece. They don't even see the smoke much less smell it.

But having a neighbor close that does not share the hobby ...or should I say primeval obsession to cook with fire... would be tough. I guess I would do as suggested and invite them over and send em home with a plateful. Turn on the charm!

I'm not sure of laws. I guess every place would be different. I was camping once and the park ranger came by and asked me to put the fire out cause it was gettin in the people's down the way RV. (At a camp ground!?!?!)

I hope it works out for you.
 
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I'm in the 'burbs. My neighbor next door is a fire captain. The only thing he says about my smoke is, "That sure smells good!"

He gives me elk & moose, and I send over some smoked products occasionally.
biggrin.gif
  It's a good relationship.
 
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I have never had a nieghbor complain, but I share little ziploc baggies of meat fairly liberaly with most of my neighbors.

I did scare one neighbor last Thanksgiving, I put my turkey on around 5:00 AM and was out checking it around 6:00 AM. Apperantly he woke up and was smelling smoke in his house and had been running around checking if he needed to call the fire dept. When he stepped outside and saw my smoker was running he figured it out - I gave him a turkey drumstick for his suffering... lol.
 
I have great neighbors...I preempt any doubt by 'bribing' them with smoked goodies...now they all want to know when I smoke "can I throw something on for us" Usually comes with a few beers for all the hard work!!

My neighbor (also now a friend) allows me to keep my boat at his house (he has room, previous owner (also a friend) let us keep our old pop-up camper prior to owning a boat, we're on boat # 2 and camper #3)

He borrowed Frank jr. for a little get together and was some ecstatic at his results, that he's now "in the market"!

~Brett
 
 
I have one neighbor who has asked me to let her know when I fire up the smoker so she can close her windows.  I now wonder if my other neighbors are getting tired of smelling the smoke?   Can I assume that there might be city or county laws about this?  Maybe I need to move way out into the country with no neighbors.
No law I know of other than spare the air days around here. I say stop by and let her know, and see if she would like any when it is done in X amount of hours. I'd say the winter cold would save you, but I know how our "winters" are out here.  
 
You can always ask her for a cell # then you could just shoot her a text message when your going to fire up your smoker.
 
I guess people complain about anything these days.  We seem to live in an age of victims rather than an age of people who actually do things?

I am very fortunate.  My neighbors love the smell of a smoker or grill.

Of course my little treats of smoked meat and sausage don't hurt either?

Good luck and good smoking.
 
I had a neighbor that kept calling the cops or fire dept on me every time i smoked any thing or even used a grill. They told him any more reports he will go to jail. (for what charge I don't know) he ended up moving away. New neighbors don't say a word or complain.
 
I am pretty fortunate as one of my neighbors works for me part-time and the other is a KCBS judge..lol needless to say I have no problems with neighbors or the issue of steel deliveries, grinding noise, hammering steel noise ...bla bla bla... if they smell BBQ smoke they just come over they both have keys to the main gate. My other neighbors in the cul-de-sac regularly borrow tools or have me weld up lawnmowers, yard equipment and the like. Of coarse I never charge even when they offer, putting up with the noise and constant deliveries is payment enough :) 

I agree with the others. Have you offered up some Q? I don't know your layout is it possible to move your smoker to the other side of the house? or from back to front yard to driveway? or vice versa 

Jason
 
I can't keep my neighbors away...didn't always use to be that way tho...I stayed at a pretty fancy apartment complex at one point and use to get complaints all the time from neighbors upstairs about my "smoking".. cops showed up on a few occasions and They left with a smile on their face and a brisket sandwich in each hand...yeh I bought Johnny law that day. Lmao. Some ppl just want to complain about something.


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