Did Massachusetts Cancel Charcoal Grilling This Summer?

Charcoal Grilling has always been my thing when having a picnics at a lake. With Summer in full swing, many Baystate residents are wondering if there's a ban on charcoal grilling.

The town of Lexington, Massachusetts for example just recently became the next town in the Baystate to ban all fossil fuels and natural gases which went into effect March 21 according to the towns website. 10 other communities with this ban include Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton and West Tisbury.

Don't throw out at that propane grill just yet as there are some exemptions to this fossil fuel ban. Which I'm happy with since I still use a Butane Stove and a Flat Top Griddle to cook on when I go camping in the summer.

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RELATED: The End Of Outdoor Grilling In Massachusetts

What are the exemptions to this ban on fossil fuels?

This ban mainly affects those that use natural gas inside their homes for hot water and home heating. Now we're not saying you have to immediately switch to another option and risk getting in trouble all because you still use natural gas in your home. Not to mention that would put the gas companies out of business if that was the case. Below is a list of all the exemptions to this ban:

1. Research laboratories for scientific or medical research
2. Hospitals and medical offices
3. Piping required to fuel back up generators, indoor or outdoor cooking appliances, indoor or outdoor fire or fire features, or appliances for outdoor heating. Starting January 1, 2025, indoor cooking appliances and indoor fire features are likely to be prohibited.
4. Multi-family buildings over 12,000 square feet that utilize gas or propane for domestic water heating as the only combustion equipment (permit application must be filed prior to January 1, 2027 for this exemption)
5. Buildings heated with clean biomass heating systems as the only combustion equipment
6. Utility service piping connecting the grid to a meter or to a gas meter itself
7. The extension or modification of heating systems or the modification of radiator, steam, or hot water piping (as long as no new fossil fuel piping is installed)
8. Repairs of any existing portions of a fuel piping system deemed unsafe by the Plumbing and Gas Inspector

What's the future of grilling?

As of right now, it is safe to say that propane and charcoal grilling isn't going anywhere anytime soon as of yet for Massachusetts. The only states that are proposing such ban are New York, and California.