Are Traeger Grills Allowed in Apartments? – What You Need To Know

Traeger grills are top-rated grills because they run on electricity and provide wood-smoked food anywhere. Many people love their grills and use them as often as they can. However, many Traeger grill owners also wonder if they can use it in an apartment setting.

Traeger grills are allowed on an apartment property in most cases. There are no open flames while you cook, making them a safe alternative to traditional grills. These grills are safe to use under porches or on patios since they don’t have a flame. You just need to be in a well-ventilated area.

While Traeger grills are safe to use on an apartment property, they still might not allow them, so it would be best to ask instead of getting in trouble later on. I’ll cover why you can use this type of grill in most apartments below.

Are Traeger Grills Allowed In Apartments?

It’s technically illegal for you to use an open flame grill on a porch or wooden deck with 10 feet (3. 05 meters) of a building. However, Traeger grills don’t use an open flame, which means you could set one up on your apartment balcony and grill.

These grills use electricity to heat wood pellets, which then flavour your food while it cooks. This feature gives you delicious wood-smoked meats, without being illegal. 

It’s worth noting that every area has different fire safety laws, so you’ll want to check them out for your city and state individually.

Due to how they work, you can even use your pellet grill under a covered porch or deck. No matter where you live, this gives you more options for where you can cook. However, it’s still not a good idea to use the grill anywhere that has poor airflow.

How Traeger Grills Are Different

Traeger grills come with many features that make them safer to use in an apartment setting. It doesn’t have an open flame and uses electricity instead of gas or charcoal, which makes it less of a fire risk.

Additionally, you receive more temperature control with your Traeger grill. 

You need to watch the food very closely with gas grills since you can’t directly set the temperature to control the flame. However, you can set your Traeger and walk away from it briefly if you have to. Many people think of their Traeger grill as more like an oven.

This video covers how the appliance works:

Benefits Of Owning A Traeger Grill In An Apartment

There are various benefits to owning a Trager grill in an apartment, which might be your only option if you want to grill at home. These quality grills don’t use an open flame, run on electricity, come in compact sizes, and don’t have to use smoke unless you want them to.

All of these benefits make them great for apartments. 

I’ll break these reasons down further below:

They Don’t Use an Open Flame

The best benefit is that Traeger grills don’t use an open flame, meaning you can use them close to your building or under a covered porch. With how apartments use their space today, you need this feature, especially if you want to grill legally.

Your landlord won’t allow an open flame on the property. However, these grills are completely electric, so there is no flame to worry about.

They Use Electricity for Fuel

Since your machine uses electricity to run, you don’t have to worry about buying and storing propane or charcoal in your apartment. These materials can be hazardous when stored in close quarters since they are highly flammable. 

Plus, electricity is going to be easier for you to find. 

All you need is an outlet to plug in your grill, so you won’t need to remember to make stops at the store to buy your fuel. Many people prefer their Traeger since it doesn’t require additional power to run.

You Can Find Them in Compact Sizes

Traeger grills also come in a variety of sizes. You can find smaller ones that will fit well in studio apartments, or you can still buy a larger one if you have room for it.

The compact grills are usually cheaper than the big ones, making them much more efficient for you to buy. Plus, if you live on the top story of your apartment, it’s going to be lighter for you to carry up there.

They Come With Easy Temperature Controls

The Traeger grill also comes with easy-to-set and adjust temperature controls, which works much like an oven, making it very easy for you to use. 

Plus, you can change the heat settings while cooking without issue.

You can’t do this as quickly with a traditional grill, as you need to watch the flame, then raise and lower it accordingly to adjust the heat. It takes a lot of practice, determination, and patience to learn to cook perfectly with a traditional gas grill. 

Charcoal grills are also challenging to master, but not impossible.

You Don’t Have To Use Smoke

Finally, you don’t have to add wood pellets to your grill for it to run, as the smoke is simply for flavor. 

If you live in closely-knit apartment buildings, it would be best that you didn’t use any smoke, because it could easily float through your neighbour’s windows, which would be a considerable nuisance to them.

Running your grill without wood pellets is an essential feature for those living in apartment buildings. 

It’s easier for you to cook this way and you won’t bother your neighbors. If your landlord sees smoke, they could easily mistake your Traeger grill for a charcoal one, which would be a hassle for you to explain.

Finally, you mustn’t use smoke under a covered patio. You want to be in a well-ventilated area, so you aren’t constantly breathing it in.

 Plus, this prevents smoke from entering your building and setting off all the fire alarms.

How To Use a Traeger Grill at an Apartment

If you want to use a Traeger at your apartment, it’s essential to know that it makes a lot of smoke on startup. Many people use a fan to direct the smoke away from their homes and neighbours. 

You’ll also want to consider running it without the wood pellets.

After five minutes of startup, the Traeger produces significantly less smoke. You will still want to be cautious, so you don’t agitate your neighbours, which could be a quick way to get it taken away from you.

However, if you invite your neighbours for a meal grilled on your Traeger, they might be more willing to keep quiet about it.

Many people also leave their grill on their deck or patio during the grilling season, which could work if your grill isn’t somewhere where other people could reach it. For example, many people leave their grills on a covered deck, when they aren’t on the first floor. 

Cleaning Your Grill

According to the Traeger company, you must clean your grill every two or three uses. The group recommends that you clean it more frequently if you run the grill for a long time or prepare something greasy.

If you’re bringing your grill inside to store for the winter, make sure to clean it out first. You don’t want a massive mess in your apartment building.