Best Fire Pit for Backyard: Size, Surface and Distance Before You Buy

Twelve feet from the back door clears Seattle Fire's 10-foot guidance but falls 13 feet short in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where fires need 25. Check your town's distance first. Then buy a wood fire pit with a spark screen and a bowl wider than your logs, and set it on patio block or concrete, not grass or a wood deck.

Quick pick: a 30-inch steel fire pit with a spark screen, set on block or concrete.

Free calculator: building a pad? Get tons and cubic yards in our free gravel calculator, or pavers and base in our free paver calculator. No sign-up.

How far from the house? It depends on the town

Seattle Fire: 10 feet from your home, plants or anything that can burn, plus a 3-foot child and pet zone.

Tulsa: portable fireplaces 15 feet, but one- and two-family homes are exempt. Open recreational fires 25 feet.

Cleveland Heights: fires 25 feet. An approved chiminea 15 feet, on a surface like a concrete patio.

Our read: ask your fire department if a portable pit counts as a fireplace.

What size fits

The 3-foot line: Seattle and Tulsa cap an outdoor fire at 3 feet across and 2 feet high.

Log length: 16-inch logs need a bowl wider than 16 inches. Measure inside the rim.

Bowl or overall: the Pure Garden below is 32 inches overall, 26.5 at the bowl. Size a screen to the bowl.

What to set it on

Patio block or concrete: Seattle names both.

Grass or wood deck: Seattle says no.

A mat is not a permit: it catches ash and sparks. It doesn't make a banned deck legal.

Not a fit: any pit on a wood deck or inside your town's distance. Cleveland Heights also bars chimineas under an overhanging structure.

Pad math for a 3 ft zone

Our planning size: the pit plus 3 feet all around. Gravel 3 inches deep at 1.5 tons per cubic yard, as in our fire pit gravel guide.

22 in pit: 7.8 ft circle, 48 sq ft, 0.67 tons, about 27 fifty-pound bags.

30 in pit: 8.5 ft circle, 57 sq ft, 0.79 tons, about 32 bags.

36 in ring: 9 ft circle, 64 sq ft, 0.88 tons, about 36 bags.

Before the first fire

☐ Measure to the house, deck and fence.

☐ Have a shovel and two buckets of water, a charged hose or a 4-A extinguisher (Seattle).

☐ Keep an adult at the fire until it's out (Seattle).

☐ Burn dry wood, under 20 percent moisture (EPA). No trash or treated wood.

Which pit fits your yard

Most patios: 30-inch wood pit with a screen.

Small patio: 22 inches.

No ash: propane. Your town's distance rules may still apply.

Fire pits (#ad)

As an Amazon Associate, Curb Calc earns from qualifying purchases.

AK TRADING CO. Crossweave 30 in Fire Pit: spark screen, poker, mesh cover and grate, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Pure Garden 32 in Fire Pit: 26.5-inch bowl, spark cover, log grate, poker and PVC cover, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Fire Beauty 22 in 2-in-1 Fire Pit: small patio pick with a spark screen and cooking grate, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Flame King 24 in Propane Fire Pit: self-igniter, 10-foot hose, cover; tank sold separately, per the maker. See it on Amazon

36 in Fire Pit Ring Insert: low-cost pick. Liner only, no bottom, for a stone ring. 36 inches inside sits at the 3-foot line. See it on Amazon

36 in Fire Pit Protector Mat: low-cost pick for block or pavers. Best with 5- to 6-inch legs, per the maker. See it on Amazon

Backyard fire pit FAQ

How far should a fire pit be from the house?

Seattle says 10 feet, Cleveland Heights 25.

Can you put a fire pit on grass?

Seattle Fire says no. Use patio block or concrete.

Do you need a spark screen?

We suggest one on wood burners. Ask your fire department if it is required.

Next: how much firewood for winter.

Watch Curb Calc on YouTube: youtube.com/@curbcalc

Sources: Seattle Fire Department, 2020; City of Tulsa; Cleveland Heights; EPA Burn Wise.