Key facts
| City | Wood fire pit | Gas fire pit | Distance | Who decides it goes out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Written DFD permit required (open burning); cooking only devices exempt | Listed natural gas appliances allowed on patios; propane restricted where natural gas is within 300 ft (DFC 6101.4) | Per permit or listing | Fire crews may issue an Order To Comply; civil penalty up to $2,000 per day |
| Salt Lake City | No permit for 3 by 2 ft recreational fire | Treated like other open flame devices | 25 ft recreational; 15 ft portable fireplace | Any reported fire may be ordered out |
| UFA cities (Millcreek, Holladay, Taylorsville and others) | Allowed on green burn days, 3 by 2 ft | 10 ft clearance | 25 ft open; 15 ft improved pit or portable | Only if hazardous |
| Reno | Allowed; winter Burn Code in listed ZIPs | Exempt from Burn Code | Portable pits at houses: maker's clearance (15 ft rule excepted) | NNPH enforces red days with warnings or fines |
| Austin | Allowed at houses and duplexes, solid fuel only | Not addressed on the city page | 25 ft open; 15 ft portable; 10 ft cleared ring | Harmful smoke or hazardous conditions: extinguished immediately |
Sources: Denver Fire policy, Residential Heat Producing Devices; 2025 Denver Fire Code; Salt Lake City Fire, recreational fires; Unified Fire Authority, open burning; City of Reno amendments to the 2024 International Fire Code; Reno Fire Prevention; Travis County Parks (burn ban status, checked October 25, 2026); Northern Nevada Public Health, Know the Code; Truckee Meadows Fire; Reno Fire; Austin Fire, recreational fire safety; Travis County Fire Marshal, burn ban (in effect as of August 11, 2026; checked October 25, 2026).
Denver: buy for the fuel rule first
Denver Fire's policy on residential heat producing devices for exterior use sorts devices by fuel. At one and two family homes, open burning, which the policy says includes chimineas, fire pits and bonfires that burn solid fuel, is unlawful without a written permit from the department. Devices designed and used only for noncommercial cooking are exempt, and the policy says chimineas are not cooking devices and are illegal in the City and County of Denver. Listed natural gas appliances are permitted on patios when installed under the International Fuel Gas Code. The policy also bars solid fuel devices on high pollution days and lists fuels that may never be burned, from treated wood to yard waste and plastics.
Propane is where Denver differs from almost everywhere else. The 2025 Denver Fire Code, adopted November 24, 2025 and amending the 2024 International Fire Code, adds section 6101.4, which prohibits LP gas containers and LP gas use where natural gas is within 300 feet of the nearest property line, subject to listed exceptions. Section 6104.2 caps one and two family homes at 40 pounds of propane on the premises, two 20 pound cylinders, and 5.4 pounds inside the house or any garage. Because the exception language is technical, call the Fire Prevention Bureau at 720-913-3474 before buying a tank fed fire table. A natural gas fire bowl plumbed by a licensed fitter avoids both questions. Violations can bring a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation per day under DRMC Section 4-9, and residents report burning through Denver 311.
Salt Lake City: which fire department answers
The city line matters in the Salt Lake Valley because two departments publish different backyard fire policies. Salt Lake City Fire says open burning is not allowed in the city, while a recreational fire of 3 feet or less across and 2 feet or less high needs no permit. It must be 25 feet from structures and combustibles, with a means of extinguishment ready, and a portable outdoor fireplace must be used per the maker's instructions and kept 15 feet away. The catch is the nuisance policy: SLC Fire says any recreational fire may be considered a nuisance fire as soon as anyone reports it, regardless of code compliance, and crews have authority to require extinguishment. Its non emergency line is 801-799-3000, option 7.
Unified Fire Authority, which serves Holladay, Millcreek, Taylorsville, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Riverton, Herriman, Kearns, Magna and unincorporated Salt Lake County among others, takes the opposite approach. Its open burning page says offensive or nuisance fires are no longer required to be extinguished unless they cause a hazardous situation, and that the department has no authority to put out a fire that meets all the requirements. UFA lists 25 feet for open recreational fires, 15 feet for improved barbecue pits and portable outdoor fireplaces, and 10 feet for LP or natural gas fire pits, and asks residents to confirm it is a green burn day first.
Reno: the portable pit exception and the winter code
Reno Fire Prevention says the city enforces the 2024 International Fire Code with City of Reno amendments. As amended, section 307.4.2 keeps 25 feet between a recreational fire and structures, and section 307.4.3 keeps the 15 foot clearance for portable outdoor fireplaces but adds an exception for those used at one and two family dwellings, so the maker's clearance governs a portable pit at a house. Section 308.1.7 bans sky lanterns. Earlier versions of this guide cited the 2018 Northern Nevada amendments; the 2024 Reno amendments replace them for the city. Questions go to Reno Fire Administration at 775-334-2300.
From November 1 through the end of February, Northern Nevada Public Health runs the Green, Yellow, Red Burn Code in listed ZIP codes, including most of Reno. A red day is declared when inversions settle in and the health officer calls a Stage 1 Emergency Episode, and burning is prohibited for 24 hours. Fireplaces and stoves that run only on natural gas or propane are exempt, as are non permitted cooking devices. Outside city limits, Truckee Meadows Fire listed Stage 1 fire restrictions effective October 1, 2026 and a pile burning prohibition from October 23, 2026, and Reno Fire's site showed open burn season closed on October 25, 2026. Those apply to permitted pile burning, not a small fire pit.
Austin: two distances and a cleared ring
Austin Fire says open burning of trash, limbs or leaves is strictly prohibited in the city and that permits are issued only for prescribed burns. Recreational fires are a separate category. At single family homes and duplexes, the fire must be 25 feet from structures and other combustibles, the fuel area no more than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, solid fuel only, with dry grass and leaves cleared for 10 feet. A competent adult must attend it constantly with a 4-A extinguisher or a garden hose ready. Portable outdoor fireplaces, either open designs or small hearth and chimney units, may sit 15 feet from structures and must follow the maker's instructions. Fires giving off smoke judged harmful to neighbors, or burning when conditions make them hazardous, are put out immediately.
Outside city limits, Travis County's Commissioners Court enacts and lifts burn bans on the Fire Marshal's recommendation, and a ban covers campfires and fire pits in non designated areas until it is lifted. When we checked the Travis County Parks site on October 25, 2026, it said the county was currently under a burn ban, with no wood or ground fires and no charcoal, and only propane in covered grills above ground. The Fire Marshal's burn ban page, rechecked that morning, at midday and again at 3 PM Pacific, says the ban took effect on August 11, 2026, and Travis County also appears on the Texas A&M Forest Service county burn ban list dated October 23, 2026. Text TCBURNBAN to 888777 for alerts, or call the Fire Marshal's Office at (512) 854-6472.
Worked example: one gas bowl, four cities
Take a natural gas fire bowl like the Real Flame Eldora, rated at 60,000 BTU, set on a patio 12 feet from the back wall. In Denver, a listed natural gas appliance installed to the fuel gas code is allowed on a patio, and it sidesteps both the wood permit and the propane limits. In a UFA city such as Millcreek, 12 feet clears UFA's 10 foot gas pit clearance. In Reno, a gas only appliance is exempt from red Burn Code days. In Austin, the city page does not set a gas pit distance, so follow the maker's clearances and confirm with Austin Fire. Swap in a wood burning Breeo X Series and the answers change: Denver needs a written permit, Salt Lake City and Austin want 15 feet for a portable unit, and Reno's red days apply.
Related guides
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- How far should a fire pit be from the house?
- Wood vs gas vs smokeless fire pits
- Fire pit rules in Chicago, Dallas and North Las Vegas
- Fire pit rules in Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix and Sacramento
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a wood fire pit in Denver?
Only with a written Denver Fire Department permit. Denver's policy treats solid fuel fire pits, chimineas and bonfires at one and two family homes as open burning. Devices used only for cooking food and listed natural gas appliances installed under the fuel gas code are allowed without that permit.
Is a propane fire pit allowed in Denver?
Section 6101.4 of the 2025 Denver Fire Code prohibits LP gas containers and LP gas use where natural gas is within 300 feet of the nearest property line, with exceptions tied to section 6103.2 and Chapters 3, 6, 31, 33 and 35. A house is also limited to 40 pounds of propane on site. Ask the Fire Prevention Bureau at 720-913-3474 before buying a propane fire table.
Can Salt Lake City Fire make me put out a fire that meets code?
Yes. SLC Fire says any reported recreational fire may be treated as a nuisance fire, and responding crews can require it to be put out. Unified Fire Authority, which serves Millcreek, Holladay, Taylorsville and other valley cities, says nuisance fires no longer must be extinguished unless they create a hazard.
Does a portable fire pit need 15 feet of clearance in Reno?
Reno enforces the 2024 International Fire Code with City of Reno amendments. As amended, section 307.4.3 keeps the 15 foot clearance for portable outdoor fireplaces but has an exception for one and two family dwellings, so at a house the maker's clearances govern.
When does the Reno area Burn Code apply?
November 1 through the end of February, in listed Washoe County ZIP codes that include 89501, 89502, 89503, 89506, 89509, 89511, 89512, 89519, 89521 and 89523. Natural gas and propane only fireplaces are exempt.
What are the fire pit rules in Austin?
At houses and duplexes, a recreational fire must be 25 feet from structures, no larger than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, solid fuel only, with a 10 foot cleared area and a 4-A extinguisher or hose. Portable outdoor fireplaces need 15 feet.
Do Travis County burn bans cover fire pits?
Yes, in non designated areas. The county says a ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including campfires and fire pits, until the Commissioners Court lifts it. The Travis County Fire Marshal's page says outdoor burning has been prohibited county wide as of August 11, 2026, and the ban was still in effect when we checked on October 25, 2026.
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