Outdoor
How far should a fire pit be from the house?
The 10 ft rule is everywhere except in the fire code, which says 25 ft.
On this page (8 sections)
- Three appliances, three rules
- 25 ft or 10 ft: which figure the code actually uses
- The 15 ft rule and the exemption most pages miss
- Gas fire tables: 24 to 48 in from the listing
- Measure from the fire to the nearest combustible
- Where the 15 x 15 ft six-seat circle comes from
- What shifts the seating ring: fuel, chairs and a gas table
- Where the answer stops applying
Short answer
25 ft (7.6 m) from the fire to the house, or to any structure or combustible material, for an open wood fire under International Fire Code section 307.4.2, the figure Minnesota, Raleigh and West Metro Fire all publish. A portable wood fireplace needs 15 ft (4.6 m), except at one- and two-family dwellings, where the model code sets none. A gas fire table follows its listing, typically 24 to 48 in (61 to 122 cm). The popular 10 ft (3 m) comes from none of these.
The numbers, at a glance
- Open wood fire to a structure
- 25 ft (7.6 m)IFC 307.4.2, also to any combustible material
- Portable outdoor fireplace
- 15 ft (4.6 m)Exempt at one- and two-family dwellings
- Recreational fire fuel pile
- 3 ft (0.9 m) across, 2 ft (0.6 m) highMinnesota and West Metro Fire limits
- Bonfire to a structure
- 50 ft (15.2 m)Anything bigger than a recreational fire
- Gas fire pit, up to 200,000 BTU/h
- 36 in (91 cm) to combustiblesHPC Fire; 84 in (213 cm) to a ceiling
- Gas fire table, side
- 24 in (610 mm) from the flameEcoSmart Fire, to fixed furniture
- Pit edge to seat front
- 30 to 36 in (76 to 91 cm)Our recommendation, for radiant comfort
- Six seats round a 42 in (107 cm) pit
- 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) circle20 ft 6 in (6.2 m) with a walkway behind
- Fire extinguisher at the fire
- 4-A rating minimumMinnesota and West Metro Fire
A wood fire pit has to be 25 ft (7.6 m) from the house. That is the International Fire Code figure for a recreational fire, and the figure fire marshals in Minnesota, North Carolina and Colorado publish for householders. The number most people have heard is 10 ft (3 m), repeated across insurer and retailer pages, but none of the fire authorities below sets 10 ft between a fire pit and a house. What changes the answer is not the size of the pit. It is what is burning, and in what, so this page sorts fires into three kinds before it measures anything, then works outwards to the seating ring the rest of outdoor room dimensions assumes.
Three appliances, three rules#
The fire code has one rule for a fire and another for a fireplace, and a gas table falls under neither.
A recreational fire is the code's name for an open wood fire: an outdoor fire burning materials other than rubbish where the fuel is not contained in an incinerator, an outdoor fireplace or a portable outdoor fireplace. A ring of stones, a sunken pit and a steel ring on the lawn all sit inside that definition. Section 307.4.2 says recreational fires "shall not be conducted within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure or combustible material", and requires conditions that could spread a fire within 25 ft of a structure to be eliminated before ignition.
A portable outdoor fireplace is a portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay or other noncombustible material. Section 307.4.3 requires it to be used to the manufacturer's instructions and kept 15 ft (4.6 m) from a structure or combustible material, with one exception that matters to most householders: the rule does not apply to portable outdoor fireplaces used at one- and two-family dwellings.
A gas fire table is neither. The portable fireplace definition is explicitly solid fuel, and the recreational fire rules are written around a pile of wood measured in feet. A gas unit is installed to its manufacturer's listed clearances, which run to inches.
So the answer is 25 ft, 15 ft, no code distance at all, or 24 in (61 cm), depending on the appliance. The model code is adopted locally, often with amendments, so the local fire marshal's page is the final word; the wider set of codes this site draws on is indexed under standards and codes.
25 ft or 10 ft: which figure the code actually uses#
| Jurisdiction | Open wood fire | Portable fireplace | Fuel pile limit | Also stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Fire Code (Colorado 2024 adoption) | 25 ft (7.6 m) to a structure or combustible material | 15 ft (4.6 m); none at one- and two-family dwellings | Not in 307.4.2 | Spread conditions within 25 ft removed first |
| Minnesota State Fire Marshal | 25 ft (7.6 m) to buildings or combustible materials | 15 ft (4.6 m) | 3 ft (0.9 m) across, 2 ft (0.6 m) high | 10 ft (3 m) to LP containers filled on site; 4-A extinguisher |
| Raleigh, NC (2018 NC Fire Code 307.4.2) | 25 ft (7.6 m) to a combustible structure | Not stated | 3 ft high or 2 ft across | Constant attendance; extinguisher or hose |
| West Metro Fire, Colorado | 25 ft (7.6 m) to a structure or combustible material | 15 ft (4.6 m); none at one- and two-family dwellings | 3 ft (0.9 m) across, 2 ft (0.6 m) high | Bonfires 50 ft (15.2 m); 4-A extinguisher |
| Travelers Insurance (guidance, not code) | 10 ft (3 m) from the home or anything combustible | Not stated | Not stated | Firewood 30 ft (9.1 m) from pit and house |
Every fire authority in the table says 25 ft. The source that says 10 ft is an insurer's safety page, which cites no code, and it is typical of the pages that rank for the question; FirePits.com's clearance guide also gives 10 ft for a wood-burning pit. Ten feet is advice, not the rule a fire officer will quote.
The 10 ft figures that do appear in the sources are about something else. Minnesota keeps a recreational fire 10 ft from LP-gas containers filled on site. West Metro Fire prohibits charcoal and open-flame cooking devices within 10 ft (3 m) of combustible construction at multifamily buildings, the grill rule covered in outdoor kitchen dimensions. Neither is a fire pit beside a house.
Two details show how the numbers drift. Raleigh quotes 307.4.2 as "a combustible structure", where the model text says "a structure or combustible material": under the model wording a brick house is still a structure, and the fence and the furniture are still combustible material. And Raleigh states its size limit as "3 feet in height or 2 feet in diameter", which is the Minnesota and West Metro limit of 3 ft across and 2 ft high transposed. Read your own city's wording rather than assuming it matches the state's.
The 15 ft rule and the exemption most pages miss#
The 15 ft portable fireplace distance is quoted as though it were a lesser version of the 25 ft rule. Under the model code it applies to everything except the property most people asking the question live in. At a detached house or a duplex, a portable outdoor fireplace has no code distance in 307.4.3; the manufacturer's instructions, which the same section makes mandatory, become the rule. The choice of appliance, not the tape measure, is the largest decision in the layout.
Watch the conversions on these pages. West Metro Fire prints the portable fireplace rule as "15 feet (3048 mm)". Fifteen feet is 4,572 mm, the figure the code itself uses; 3,048 mm is 10 ft. It is exactly the kind of slip covered in imperial and metric dimension systems. Where two units disagree, trust the one the code writes first, or check it with the unit converter.
Gas fire tables: 24 to 48 in from the listing#
Gas units are where the short distances come from, and they are specific to the product. Two manufacturers publish theirs on ordinary web pages:
| Appliance | Side clearance | Overhead | Measured from |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPC Fire, burners up to 200,000 BTU/h | 36 in (91 cm) to any combustible | 84 in (213 cm) to a ceiling, and at least two open walls | Edge of the burner pan; top of the enclosure |
| HPC Fire, burners 201,000 to 400,000 BTU/h | 48 in (122 cm) to any combustible | No overhead structure at all | Edge of the burner pan |
| EcoSmart Fire gas pits and tables | 24 in (610 mm) to fixed furniture | 72 in (1,829 mm) to an overhang; 78.7 in (2,000 mm) to curtains or branches | The edge of the flame, not the centre |
The datum differs: HPC measures from the burner pan, EcoSmart from the flame, and neither from the outside of the table, which is where a homeowner puts the tape. HPC's roof rule has two conditions that must both be met, so a covered patio enclosed on three sides fails however high it is. And the overhead figure is measured up from the burner or the enclosure top, not from the paving, so the table's own height is added on top of it. EcoSmart also states that its units are for outdoor installation only. Your table's installation manual governs yours, and it is the document an inspector or insurer will ask for.
Measure from the fire to the nearest combustible#
The code gives the distance but not the faces, so choose them conservatively. Our reading:
- From the nearest edge of the fire, not the centre of the pit. On a 42 in (107 cm) pit, measuring from the centre overstates the clearance by 21 in (53 cm).
- To the nearest part of anything combustible, which is rarely the wall: an eave, a timber deck, a pergola, the fence, the firewood store. The walls of a timber raised bed or planter count as much as a shed does.
- Overhead as well as in plan. A tree canopy over the pit is combustible material, whatever the distance to its trunk.
A timber deck is the case that surprises people. It is combustible material attached to the structure, so the 25 ft is measured to the deck edge. The rules in deck sizes and railing heights say nothing about fire, but a 12 ft (3.7 m) deck turns 25 ft to the deck into 37 ft (11.3 m) to the back wall. Stacked firewood has its own distance: Travelers suggests 30 ft (9.1 m) from both the pit and the house.
Where the 15 x 15 ft six-seat circle comes from#
Once the fire is legal, the seats decide the footprint. The ring is three numbers added outwards from the centre.
- Pit radius. Half the outside diameter: 21 in (53 cm) for the 42 in (107 cm) pit in the worked example.
- Pit edge to seat front: 30 to 36 in (76 to 91 cm). Our working recommendation, not a code figure. Closer and shins take the radiant heat directly; much further and the fire stops warming anyone. It clears EcoSmart's 24 in (610 mm) minimum to fixed furniture.
- Chair depth: about 30 in (76 cm) for Adirondack and low lounge chairs. Deep seating runs deeper, as outdoor sofa and lounger dimensions sets out.
Add them: 21 + 36 + 30 = 87 in (221 cm) of radius, a circle 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) across. Paved as a square, that is the 15 x 15 ft (4.6 x 4.6 m) six-seat fire pit footprint in patio sizes and layouts. Add a 36 in (91 cm) route behind the chairs, the primary route width in walkway and circulation widths, and the circle is 20 ft 6 in (6.2 m) across.
Seat count is arc length at the seat fronts. At a 57 in (145 cm) radius the circumference is 2 x 3.14 x 57 = 358 in (9.1 m). A 30 in (76 cm) chair plus an 18 in (46 cm) gap for a side table is 48 in (122 cm) per seat, so the ring holds seven at most and six with room to spare.
| Pit diameter | Seat front radius | Ring diameter | With 36 in walkway | Seats at 48 in each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 in (76 cm) | 51 in (130 cm) | 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) | 19 ft 6 in (5.9 m) | 6 |
| 36 in (91 cm) | 54 in (137 cm) | 14 ft (4.3 m) | 20 ft (6.1 m) | 7 |
| 42 in (107 cm) | 57 in (145 cm) | 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) | 20 ft 6 in (6.2 m) | 7 |
| 48 in (122 cm) | 60 in (152 cm) | 15 ft (4.6 m) | 21 ft (6.4 m) | 7 |
The pit barely moves the result. Going from a 30 in to a 48 in pit, 60 per cent more diameter, grows the ring by 18 in (46 cm). The chairs and the walkway are the fire pit area.
What shifts the seating ring: fuel, chairs and a gas table#
The fuel. Keep the full 36 in (91 cm) for a wood fire, which throws embers as well as heat. Around a gas table with a ledge, seats can sit at the 30 in (76 cm) end, still clear of EcoSmart's 24 in (610 mm), which brings the ring for a 42 in (107 cm) table down to 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m).
The chairs. Swap 30 in lounge chairs for 24 in (61 cm) deep chairs and the ring loses a foot of diameter; a curved bench needs no gaps between seats. As in living room seating layouts, facing distance matters: across a 14 ft 6 in ring the seat fronts are 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m) apart, which is reason enough not to push the chairs further back.
The plot. For a wood fire, the code decides where the ring sits: with the fire 25 ft (7.6 m) from the house, the chair backs on a 42 in pit are still 19 ft 6 in (5.9 m) from it. For a gas table the order reverses. A 36 in (91 cm) listed clearance falls inside the seating, so the furniture sets how close the table can come: 36 + 30 + 36 = 102 in, or 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) from the table edge to the wall. The sofa and seating fit checker runs the same arithmetic for a rectangular group.
The ground. Chairs on gravel have to be lifted rather than slid, the pull-back problem worked through in outdoor dining table sizes and clearances. Allow an extra 6 in (15 cm) of radius on loose gravel.
Where the answer stops applying#
The 25 ft figure is the model code and the jurisdictions listed. Your city may have amended it or restricted burning, and Minnesota notes that some local ordinances stop recreational fires above a set wind speed. None of these distances apply to an indoor fireplace, whose hearth rules are a different system, touched on in fireplace and TV wall dimensions.
The rules also stop at the size limit. A fire bigger than 3 ft (0.9 m) across or 2 ft (0.6 m) high is not a recreational fire in Minnesota or West Metro Fire's area, and West Metro Fire requires a bonfire to be 50 ft (15.2 m) from any structure or combustible material. Both require the fire to be attended until it is out, with a portable extinguisher of at least a 4-A rating on hand. Terms such as combustible follow the code's usage; related construction terms are in the glossary.
Frequently asked questions#
Is 10 feet far enough for a fire pit?
Not for an open wood fire under the model fire code, which sets 25 ft (7.6 m) from any structure or combustible material. Ten feet is the figure insurers such as Travelers give, without citing a code. It can be right for a listed gas fire table, whose manufacturer clearances run 24 to 48 in (61 to 122 cm), and it is the fire code distance for charcoal grills at apartment buildings, which is a different appliance entirely.
Can I have a fire pit on a small back garden?
An open wood fire needs 25 ft (7.6 m) to every structure and every piece of combustible material, including a timber fence, so it needs a clear circle about 53 ft 6 in (16.3 m) across for a 42 in (107 cm) pit. Most small gardens cannot provide that. A listed portable wood fireplace at a one- or two-family house is exempt from the 15 ft rule under the model code, and a gas table needs only its listed clearance.
Does a gas fire pit have to be 25 feet from the house?
Not under the recreational fire rule, which is written around a pile of burning fuel. A gas fire table is installed to its manufacturer's instructions: HPC Fire sets 36 in (91 cm) horizontally to any combustible for burners up to 200,000 BTU/h and 48 in (122 cm) above that, and EcoSmart Fire sets 24 in (610 mm) from the flame to fixed furniture. Local rules can add to either.
Can you put a fire pit on a wooden deck?
Not an open wood fire, because the deck is itself combustible material and the 25 ft (7.6 m) is measured to it. A gas table on a deck depends entirely on its listing: read the manual for what it allows underneath, and check the clearance to the deck guard and to any roof. The guard and framing figures for decks are set out separately, because a deck rarely leaves 25 ft of anything.
How far should chairs be from a fire pit?
Thirty to 36 in (76 to 91 cm) from the outer edge of the pit to the front of the seat, which is our working recommendation rather than a code figure. That keeps knees out of the worst of the radiant heat while leaving the fire within conversation distance. EcoSmart Fire's minimum of 24 in (610 mm) from the flame to fixed furniture sits inside that band, so the comfort figure also satisfies the listing.
How big should a fire pit area be for six chairs?
A circle 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) across for a 42 in (107 cm) pit, from 21 in of pit radius, 36 in (91 cm) to the seat front and 30 in (76 cm) of chair depth, all doubled. Paved as a square that is 15 x 15 ft (4.6 x 4.6 m). Add a 36 in walkway behind the chairs and the circle becomes 20 ft 6 in (6.2 m).
What size can a backyard fire be?
Minnesota and West Metro Fire both limit a recreational fire to a fuel pile 3 ft (0.9 m) in diameter and 2 ft (0.6 m) high. Raleigh's fire department page states the limit the other way round, 3 ft high or 2 ft in diameter. A fire larger than the recreational limit is a bonfire, which West Metro Fire requires to be 50 ft (15.2 m) from any structure or combustible material.
Do I need a fire extinguisher by the fire pit?
Minnesota and West Metro Fire both require at least one portable fire extinguisher with a minimum 4-A rating, or other approved extinguishing equipment, at a recreational fire, and both require the fire to be attended until it is out. Raleigh asks for an extinguisher or a garden hose nearby, and not to light a fire in windy conditions at all.
Sources and standards referenced#
- International Fire Code sections 307.4.2 Recreational fires and 307.4.3 Portable outdoor fireplaces (Colorado DFPC Fire Code 2024) International Code Council, via UpCodes25 ft to a structure or combustible material for a recreational fire; 15 ft for a portable outdoor fireplace, with the one- and two-family dwelling exception; both definitions
- Recreational fires and outdoor fireplaces Minnesota Department of Public Safety, State Fire Marshal3 ft by 2 ft fuel limit, 25 ft to buildings, 10 ft to LP containers filled on site, 4-A extinguisher, 15 ft for portable fireplaces
- Fire pits and open burning City of Raleigh Fire Department2018 North Carolina Fire Code 307.4.2 at 25 ft to a combustible structure; the 3 ft high or 2 ft diameter limit
- Recreational fires, fireplace, pit and BBQ regulations West Metro Fire Rescue, Colorado25 ft and 15 ft rules, the dwelling exemption, 50 ft bonfires, 10 ft for grills at multifamily buildings
- Tech Talks: gas fire pit clearances HPC Fire36 in and 48 in horizontal clearance by burner rating, 84 in overhead with two open walls
- Clearance requirements: fire pit kits, fire tables and fire pits (gas) EcoSmart Fire24 in side clearance from the flame, 72 in to an overhang, 78.7 in to movable items overhead
- Outdoor fire pit safety tips Travelers InsuranceThe 10 ft recommendation, with no code cited, and 30 ft for stacked firewood
We cite published codes, industry planning guidelines and manufacturer specifications. Where a figure is our own recommendation rather than a published standard, the text says so. See how we measure.