Smokehoue and the Regulations


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Smokehouse and the Regulations

A smokehouse can be built or installed for a commercial purpose or for private use and we will face different regulations. There is not much in the Code of Federal Regulations that covers the subject and the only federal institution that may come into play is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as they deal with the problems of pollution. A commercial plant smoking thousands of pounds of meat an hour will definitely need to install a filtering system. The EPA document Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors AP-42, Section 9.5.2, covers emission standards in Meat Smokehouses.

Every state or county will have a final word on its air air pollution restrictions and local authorities should be consulted before construction is started. For example the following comes from California regulations:

Section 5 - List of Title V Insignificant Activities

I. General Criteria for Insignificant Activities

An insignificant activity is any activity, process, or emission unit which is not subject to a source-specific requirement of a State Implementation Plan, preconstruction permit, or federal standard and which: 1) meets the “Criteria for Specific Source Categories” below; or 2) emits no more than 0.5 tons per year of a federal hazardous air pollutant (HAP) and no more than two tons per year of a regulated pollutant that is not HAP.

E. Food Processing Equipment

1. Any oven in a food processing operation where less than 1,000 pounds of product are produced per day of operation.

Justification:

13.7 lb VOC/2,000 lb product * 1,000 lb product = 6.9 lb VOC/day
(Reference AP-42)

2. Any smokehouse in which the maximum horizontal inside cross section area does not exceed 20 square feet.

Justification:

0.3 lb PM10/ton of meat * 1 ton/day = 0.3 lb PM10/day
0.6 lb CO/ton of meat * 1 ton/day = 0.6 lb CO/day
(Reference AP-42)

3. Any confection cooker, and associated venting or control equipment, cooking edible products intended for human consumption.

Justification: Insignificant air pollutant emissions from this source

Note:

VOC=Volatile organic compound
PM=Particulate matter
CO=Carbon monoxide

Federal standards include:

40 CFR Parts 60 (New Source Performance Standards), 61 (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants), 63 (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories).

HAPs are toxic substances listed pursuant to Section 112 (b) of the Federal Clean Air Act.

A home made smoker can be a simple inexpensive unit, sometimes even portable and we may not even involve any officials. On the other hand if one intends to build an expensive combination island (grill, smoker, water sink, lights) that will require electrical wiring and gas and plumbing connections, it will be a good idea to find out from the local city hall about regulations.

In every state each county has a County Nuisance Ordinance. If someone finds that your campfire or open burning is a nuisance to him or her, you will be asked to put the fire out. That will apply to meat smoking as well, if you live in a metropolitan area and smoke meats for hours at the time, someone might call the officials.

The local Fire Department will not have much information about smokers or meat smoking, all they are concerned with is the common sense safety like:

keeping fire away from any structures,
don’t smoke under low hanging trees, have a garden hose (water source) close by,
don’t use any flammable or combustible liquids,
have adult supervision when the kids are present,
make sure the fire is completely out after the event is over, etc...

If you plan to build a sophisticated smokehouse, by all means show them the plans and they will gladly review them and make some recommendations. This way if your grudge holding neighbor will call them one day, you will be able to say to them: Hi guys, I have built my smoker the way you had advised me to.

1. Without a doubt the first step is to talk to the Local Zoning Office to see whether such a structure is allowed and in most cases it is.

2. The second step is to check with your county City Hall if a building permit is required. They will have everything there is to know about building a smokehouse in their area.

For example, in Maryland the Air Quality General Permit to Construct “Charbroilers and Pit Barbecues” applies to every person who owns, constructs (installs), or operates a non-residential charbroiler or pit barbecue with a total cooking area greater than 5 square feet (0.46 square meters). The permit is not required for residential units.

In St. Louis City the smokehouses are permitted within residential zoning districts as long as they conform to city ordinances. Any building or structure intended to be used as a smokehouse within a residential zoning district which exceeds fifty (50) suare feet in size shall require a permit from the building commissioner prior to construction and shall conform to all applicable regulatory codes for such structure. (Ord. 65944 #2, 2003)

In the state of Milwaukee the General Building Code has Section 239-4 which says that: In addition to the regulations 239-1, Detached Private Garages, smokehouses shall:
have walls of not less than 2 hours fire-resistive construction with a noncombustible floor and roof, and a metal door overlapping the door opening at least one inch at the top and on both sides, and shall have a noncombustible vent or smoke flue, may be located within the principal building if constructed of 3 hour fire-resistant construction throughout.

No matter where you are located you may expect requirements such as:

non-combustible or masonry wall structures
metal door
concrete slab (at least 3 1/2” thick)
minimum distance of 15’ from property lines and from any other structure
no sale of smoked meat that was prepared in a smokehouse

As you can see there isn’t any set of government instructions or regulations on building smokehouses and you have to do your own homework by visiting your local court house or city hall.