Most of the fire pit questions we get at the Canton store come down to one: where can it go? Answer that first and the choice between gas and wood usually makes itself.
The summer burn ban ends today. It never covered the fire pit on your patio. We explained why in our August post on the burn ban. This one is about buying. What the state fire code and Cherokee County actually say, what to ask your HOA, and how gas and wood differ once you pace off the yard.
People shop for a fire pit by looking at fire pits. We would start with a tape measure. Nearly every rule that matters is about distance: from the house, the deck, the fence, the shed, and anything else that burns. The fuel you pick changes those distances a lot.
So walk the yard first. Note where the back door is, where the deck ends, what hangs overhead, and where the fence runs. Then read the rest of this with that picture in mind.
Georgia's state fire code is the 2024 International Fire Code, as adopted by the Safety Fire Commissioner. It calls a wood fire for warmth, cooking or company a recreational fire, as long as the fuel area is no more than 3 feet across and 2 feet high.
A recreational fire cannot be within 25 feet of a structure or of combustible material. The code also says to clear anything that could carry the fire inside that 25 feet before you light it. A wood deck is combustible material. So is a wood fence, a shed, or a bed of pine straw.
The same code says the fire has to be attended until it is out. It also wants a fire extinguisher on hand, or something that does the same job. A garden hose, a water barrel, dirt or sand all count.
Twenty-five feet is more than most people guess. On a lot of the lots we see in Canton and Holly Springs, it puts a wood pit out in the lawn rather than on the patio. That is fine if the lawn is where you want to sit. It is a problem if you pictured it just off the kitchen door.
A portable wood burner is a separate category. The code calls a chiminea, a steel fire bowl or a clay fireplace a portable outdoor fireplace. The general rule is 15 feet from a structure or combustible material. It also has to be used the way the manufacturer's instructions say.
There is an exception for one- and two-family homes. At a house, the 15-foot rule does not apply, which leaves the manufacturer's instructions as the rule that counts. Read the clearances in the manual before you pick a spot. Most people never open it. It usually asks for more room than they expect.
A gas fire pit throws no sparks and leaves no embers. That is the main reason it can live nearer the house. What sets the distance is the appliance's own listing, not a flat number in the code.
Outdoor gas fire pits and fire tables are tested to a national standard, ANSI Z21.97 / CSA 2.41, for outdoor decorative gas appliances. It covers portable, stationary and built-in units, fed by a gas line or by a propane cylinder. A certified unit comes with an installation manual listing its clearances to walls and to anything overhead, and the surfaces it can sit on. That manual is the rule.
Ask to see the manual before you buy. We keep them at the counter for what we sell. If the spot you have in mind is under a porch roof or on a wood deck, the manual is the only thing that can tell you yes.
One note for anyone in an apartment or condo. The state fire code keeps charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices off combustible balconies and at least 10 feet from combustible construction. Single-family homes and duplexes are exempt from that section. Your building's own rules may still say no.
A propane fire pit carries its own fuel. The tank either sits in the base or off to one side on a hose. The manual says where it goes and how the base has to vent. The upside is that the whole thing can move next spring.
A natural gas fire pit runs off a line from your meter. You never swap a tank. The pit lives where the line ends. In Georgia, gas piping on the house side of the meter is licensed work. State law puts it under plumbing and conditioned air contracting, so whoever runs the line should hold one of those licenses. You can look up any license by name through the Georgia Secretary of State.
Our fire pits page has the side-by-side on gas and wood. The short version is that gas gets lit on a random Wednesday and wood gets lit on occasions.
Georgia's open burning rules list recreational fires and cooking as allowed burning. Open flame devices are on the same list. That is where gas fire pits fall. The Georgia Forestry Commission does not issue permits for either one, so there is nobody to call before you light it.
Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services says the same for unincorporated Cherokee County. Its outdoor burning sheet lists a recreational fire as needing no permit and allowed year-round. That means clean split firewood, a fuel area no more than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, and nothing being burned to get rid of it.
The county sheet also lays out how it expects outdoor burning to be done:
The county enforces those rules in unincorporated Cherokee. If you live inside the Canton, Woodstock or Holly Springs city limits, or over the line in Cobb County, your city or county may have its own. We would rather you ask than guess. Call your fire marshal's office before you buy, not after. In unincorporated Cherokee County that is 678-493-6290.
Plenty of neighborhoods around Canton have covenants. Some say nothing about fire pits. Others limit wood burning, require approval for anything built in, or control where structures can go on a lot. We cannot tell you what yours says. Neither can anyone who has not read it.
Get a copy of the covenants and any architectural guidelines before you buy. Look for fire pits, open burning, outdoor structures and gas lines. If a built-in pit or a new gas line needs approval, send the request in before anything is ordered. Board approval takes as long as it takes. It is a much easier conversation before the stone is set.
Ten minutes outside will answer most of what we would ask you at the counter.
Our Canton showroom is at 3275 Marietta Hwy. We keep gas fire pits and fire tables running so you can stand next to one before you choose. Bring a photo of the spot and a rough measurement to the house. We will pull the manual for anything you like and tell you whether it fits. If you are closer to Rome, the same crew has been doing this there since 1974.
Sources
Rules change, and cities can be stricter than the county. This is where they stood when we published, and it is not legal advice. Your fire marshal is the last word.
Bring a photo of the spot
Gas or wood, portable or built in. Both showrooms keep fire pits lit, and we will pull the manual for anything you like so you know the clearances before you buy.