A fire pit can completely change your backyard, it can enhance the space it’s placed in by adding beauty, warmth and light. But in order for this to happen you have to choose the proper place for it. Otherwise you fire pit won’t be able to do all of those things, and worse, your property might catch fire.
So, in order to avoid any fires, and to make sure that you will get the most out of your fire pit, we are going to cover the following things:
- Legal requirements
- Distance from the house
- Distance from trees
- Overhead distance from a patio roof
- Placing a fire pit on wooden decks
- Placing a fire pit on grass
- Low ground or high ground
Now let’s start with the legal requirements, since they are mandatory.
Table of Contents
What the Law Says About Fire Pit Placement
Before we discuss the best practices we should first take a look at what the law says.
Fire Pit Distance From the House
The short answer is 20 feet.
The exact distance will differ from state to state, a lot of them require 10 feet from any structure, others 15, and others require 20 feet. Even if your state requires only 10 feet my suggestion is to build your fire pit at least 20 feet from any structure.
The reason for this is that laws can change. And at any moment your perfectly legal fire pit might end up illegal.
If you want to know the exact distance required you could always check out this page where I discussed the laws of each state separately, or you could use the search function of the site and type the name of your state.
Do I Need a Permit for a Fire Pit in My State?
The next thing that you should know before getting a fire pit is whether you need a permit or not.
The answer to this question will greatly depend on the state in which you live. So here is a table with all the states and what the law says.
One thing to keep in mind is that fire pits are considered open fires, this is why the law says that you need a permit for an open fire.
At the end of the article you will find a table in which you will see if you need a fire permit in your state.
But even with a permit there are some restrictions so let’s continue with the laws.
Other things that you have to take into consideration, besides the laws of the state, are the community laws. Some communities might have certain restrictions that others don’t.
In most cases this means that people that live in a neighborhood filled with houses might be able to have an open fire, while people that live in the middle of a city filled with apartment buildings can’t have an open fire on their balcony.
The best way to check this out is to call your local fire stations and ask them if you need any special permit for a fire pit. In general most areas filled with houses don’t need an extra permit, but it’s always a good idea to check.
Now that the legal part is covered let’s move to some of the best practices.
How Far Should a Fire Pit Be From Trees
As you can imagine you want to be as far as possible from any tree.
But unfortunately we don’t all have the space that we would like, so we can’t put our fire pit in the middle of an open space. So a good minimum distance that you should place your fire pit from a tree should be 20 feet, the same distance that it should be from the house.
The idea behind this distance is that if it’s good enough for a house it should be good enough for a tree.
Just make sure that you have 20 feet from the closest branch of the tree, not the base. Small leafy branches have a higher chance of catching fire than the base of the tree.
And remember that you can always cut some branches if they get too close to the fire pit.
As for the overhead distance from a tree, in my opinion anything below 15 feet can be dangerous. Fire pits, especially the ones that burn wood can be unpredictable, and in any moment a small spark can go up and hit a dry leaf and start a fire.
So if possible make sure that you don’t have any tree branch above your fire.
Fire Pit Overhead Distance From the Roof of a Patio
Unfortunately you can’t have a wood burning fire pit under a patio, there are two many disadvantages and risks.
There is the very real risk of something catching fire, and when you have a big open flame under a wooden patio, the question isn’t if it’s going to catch fire, the question is when it’s going to catch fire.
Then there is the smoke problem, under a patio the smoke doesn’t have too many places it can go, so you will end up inhaling a lot of it, which is extremely bad for your health.
But fortunately there is a solution, and that is a propane fire pit. Propane fire pits are very similar to traditional wood burning fire pits. The major difference, leaving aside the fuel, is that the propane fire pit has a smaller and easier to control flame, so as long you have a reasonable height (9 feet should be good), there won’t be any risk of something catching fire.
Propane fire pits also don’t produce any smoke, so that’s another problem solved.
Fire Pits on Wooden Decks
Making a fire on top of a wooden floor doesn’t sound like the best idea, since wood tends to burn when it’s in contact with fire, but there are a few workarounds.
The first option that you have is to use a propane fire pit, instead of a wood burning one. This way the flame will be far enough from the floor, and there won’t be any danger.
The other option that you have is to cut a hole in the deck and pour a small concrete foundation and build your fire pit on top of that.
Fire Pits on Grass
Again, fire pits and grass don’t usually mix well together. But you still have some options.
If you want to put a fire pit on grass you either use a propane fire pit which will eliminate all problems, or you could use a portable fire pit.
In the case of the propane fire pit you don’t need to take any extra measures, the fire will be completely under control and the heat won’t affect the grass.
But for a portable fire pit thighs are a little bit different, depending on the height of the fire pit the heat coming from it might ot be a problem, but the sparks that might land on the grass are. To eliminate this risk you should water the area before you start the fire. You don’t need to make a puddle around the fire pit, just spray some water over the area. This will protect the grass from the heat as well as any sparks.
And don’t forget that you should move your fire pit from that spot from time to time so that the grass can get some sunlight, otherwise the grass will grow uneven or it will dry.
Low Ground or High Ground
One final thing to keep in mind when choosing a place to put your fire pit is that you should place your fire pit on high ground. If you place it at the bottom of a slope all the water from the area will gather around the fire pit when it rains. And after a while your fire pit will start to deteriorate.
Final Thoughts
So those are the things that you should keep in mind when choosing a place for your firepit.
Now let’s make a quick recap:
- A fire pit should be at least 20 feet from your house.
- If your state requires you to have a permit for open fires make sure that you get one.
- Place your fire pit as far away from trees as possible, and look out for branches.
- If you want to place your fire pit in the patio, use a propane fire pit.
- If you want to place the fire pit on a wooden deck, construct a concrete base first, or use a propane fire pit.
- If you want to use a fire pit on the ground you have to use either a portable fire pit or a propane fire pit, also watering the area before will make things safer.
- High ground is preferable to low ground.
Table With Fire Pit Permits by State
| State | What The Law Says |
| Alabama | Alabama only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Alaska | Alaska requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Arizona | Arizona requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Arkansas | Arkansas only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| California | California requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Colorado | Colorado requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Connecticut | Connecticut requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Delaware | Delaware only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Florida | Florida only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Georgia | Georgia requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Idaho | Idaho requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Illinois | Illinois requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Indiana | Indiana only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Iowa | Iowa requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Kansas | Kansas only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Kentucky | Kentucky only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Louisiana | Louisiana only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Maine | Maine only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Maryland | Maryland only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Michigan | Michigan requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Minnesota | Minnesota only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Mississippi | Mississippi requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Missouri | Missouri only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Montana | Montana requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Nebraska | Nebraska requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Nevada | Nevada only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| New Jersey | New Jersey requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| New Mexico | New Mexico only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| New York | New York only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| North Carolina | North Carolina only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| North Dakota | North Dakota requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Ohio | Ohio only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Oregon | Oregon only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| South Carolina | South Carolina only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| South Dakota | South Dakota only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Tennessee | Tennessee only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Texas | Texas only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Utah | Utah only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Vermont | Vermont only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Virginia | Virginia only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Washington | Washington only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia requires you to have a special permit for open fires, this includes fire pits. So you can’t use a fire pit if you don’t own one. |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |
| Wyoming | Wyoming only requires a special permit for big open fires. So you don’t need one to own and use a fire pit. |