Los Angeles Fire Pit Laws: Wood, Gas and Propane Rules

Los Angeles enforces its own Fire Code, which keeps a recreational wood fire 25 ft from structures and requires Fire Chief approval of where a built-in burning device that is a separate structure sits within 10 ft of a building. Wood is barred on SCAQMD No-Burn days, and the code names no clearance for a portable gas or propane fire pit.

Last verified 2026-10-15.

Adopted code 2023 Los Angeles Fire Code, adopting portions of the 2022 California Fire Code and the 2021 International Fire Code (Ordinance 187,994, effective October 4, 2023). A 2026 code based on the 2025 California Fire Code was requested in Council File 25-1370, and the City Clerk's file shows no adopting ordinance yet.

Source: Los Angeles City Clerk, Council File 23-0485 (Ordinance 187,994); Los Angeles Municipal Code §57.101.1; Council File 25-1370. Checked 2026-10-15.

At a Glance

Los Angeles fire pit rules at a glance, each with its source and the date we checked it.

Wood fire pit
What the code says
Allowed within the code's limits, with an open question in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. A recreational fire stays 25 ft from a structure or combustible material, and a portable outdoor fireplace 15 ft except at one- and two-family homes. A bonfire, which the code defines as a ceremonial fire, needs a permit. In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone the code bars open burning, and it does not say plainly whether a backyard fire counts.
Source
Los Angeles Fire Code (2023), §307.2, §307.4.2, §307.4.3, Chapter 2 definitions and §4911.2, as adopted by LAMC §57.307 and §57.4911
Checked
2026-10-15
Portable gas or propane fire pit or table
What the code says
The Fire Code does not name a gas or propane fire pit. It defines a recreational fire by the size of its fuel pile and a portable outdoor fireplace as solid-fuel-burning, and its 5 ft rule for portable outdoor gas-fired heating appliances does not say whether a fire pit counts. Follow your unit's manual and ask the Los Angeles Fire Department how it classes your unit.
Source
Los Angeles Fire Code (2023), §307.4.2, §307.4.3, §605.5.2 and Chapter 2 definitions, as adopted by LAMC §57.307 and §57.605
Checked
2026-10-15
Permanently installed gas feature
What the code says
The Fire Chief must approve the location of a permanently installed outdoor burning device that is a separate structure used for cooking, decoration or entertainment and sits within 10 ft of a building. The gas line needs a plumbing permit from LADBS, and a permanent unit must be listed to ANSI Z21.97/CSA 2.41 and installed to its manual.
Source
Los Angeles Municipal Code §57.307.6.2; LADBS, Plumbing Permits; 2025 California Mechanical Code §931.1.1
Checked
2026-10-15

Los Angeles fire pit rules at a glance, each with its source and the date we checked it.
Item	What the code says	Source	Checked
Wood fire pit	Allowed within the code's limits, with an open question in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. A recreational fire stays 25 ft from a structure or combustible material, and a portable outdoor fireplace 15 ft except at one- and two-family homes. A bonfire, which the code defines as a ceremonial fire, needs a permit. In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone the code bars open burning, and it does not say plainly whether a backyard fire counts.	Los Angeles Fire Code (2023), §307.2, §307.4.2, §307.4.3, Chapter 2 definitions and §4911.2, as adopted by LAMC §57.307 and §57.4911	2026-10-15
Portable gas or propane fire pit or table	The Fire Code does not name a gas or propane fire pit. It defines a recreational fire by the size of its fuel pile and a portable outdoor fireplace as solid-fuel-burning, and its 5 ft rule for portable outdoor gas-fired heating appliances does not say whether a fire pit counts. Follow your unit's manual and ask the Los Angeles Fire Department how it classes your unit.	Los Angeles Fire Code (2023), §307.4.2, §307.4.3, §605.5.2 and Chapter 2 definitions, as adopted by LAMC §57.307 and §57.605	2026-10-15
Permanently installed gas feature	The Fire Chief must approve the location of a permanently installed outdoor burning device that is a separate structure used for cooking, decoration or entertainment and sits within 10 ft of a building. The gas line needs a plumbing permit from LADBS, and a permanent unit must be listed to ANSI Z21.97/CSA 2.41 and installed to its manual.	Los Angeles Municipal Code §57.307.6.2; LADBS, Plumbing Permits; 2025 California Mechanical Code §931.1.1	2026-10-15

Who Decides

The offices that decide fire pit rules in Los Angeles, each with its official page and the date we checked it.

Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau
Role
The Fire Chief is the Fire Code official. Enforces the Los Angeles Fire Code, approves the location of a built-in outdoor burning device that is a separate structure within 10 ft of a building, and issues special permits. Phone (213) 978-3570, as printed on the contact page.
Official page
lafd.org
Checked
2026-10-15
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Role
Declares No-Burn days for wood-burning devices in the South Coast Air Basin and writes Rules 444 and 445. Posts the daily alerts on its Check Before You Burn page.
Official page
aqmd.gov
Checked
2026-10-15
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS)
Role
Issues plumbing permits for fuel gas piping and inspects the work. The pages we read do not name fire pits.
Official page
dbs.lacity.gov
Checked
2026-10-15
Los Angeles City Council, Council File 25-1370
Role
Adopts the Los Angeles Fire Code by ordinance. In January 2026 it asked the City Attorney for an ordinance replacing the Fire Code with the 2025 California Fire Code. No ordinance is on file yet.
Official page
cityclerk.lacity.org
Checked
2026-10-15
Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Zone
Role
Explains the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and links a Fire Zone Map for checking whether your address is inside it.
Official page
lafd.org
Checked
2026-10-15
California Contractors State License Board
Role
Licenses plumbing contractors. Its C-36 classification covers gas appliances, gas connections and gas piping from the owner's side of the meter to the structure or fixed works.
Official page
cslb.ca.gov
Checked
2026-10-15

The offices that decide fire pit rules in Los Angeles, each with its official page and the date we checked it.
Office	Role	Official page	Checked
Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau	The Fire Chief is the Fire Code official. Enforces the Los Angeles Fire Code, approves the location of a built-in outdoor burning device that is a separate structure within 10 ft of a building, and issues special permits. Phone (213) 978-3570, as printed on the contact page.	lafd.org	2026-10-15
South Coast Air Quality Management District	Declares No-Burn days for wood-burning devices in the South Coast Air Basin and writes Rules 444 and 445. Posts the daily alerts on its Check Before You Burn page.	aqmd.gov	2026-10-15
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS)	Issues plumbing permits for fuel gas piping and inspects the work. The pages we read do not name fire pits.	dbs.lacity.gov	2026-10-15
Los Angeles City Council, Council File 25-1370	Adopts the Los Angeles Fire Code by ordinance. In January 2026 it asked the City Attorney for an ordinance replacing the Fire Code with the 2025 California Fire Code. No ordinance is on file yet.	cityclerk.lacity.org	2026-10-15
Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Zone	Explains the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and links a Fire Zone Map for checking whether your address is inside it.	lafd.org	2026-10-15
California Contractors State License Board	Licenses plumbing contractors. Its C-36 classification covers gas appliances, gas connections and gas piping from the owner's side of the meter to the structure or fixed works.	cslb.ca.gov	2026-10-15

What the City Code Says

The Los Angeles Fire Code is Chapter V, Article 7 of the Municipal Code. The edition on record is the 2023 Los Angeles Fire Code, in effect since October 4, 2023 under Ordinance 187,994. The City Council asked in January 2026 for a replacement built on the 2025 California Fire Code (Council File 25-1370), and the City Clerk's file shows no adopting ordinance yet. The California page covers the state code.

The Los Angeles Fire Code adopts by reference portions of the 2022 California Fire Code (CFC) and the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC).

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.101.1. Checked 2026-10-15.

American Legal and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) still show the 2023 city code, while California's 2025 Fire Code took effect statewide on January 1, 2026. Los Angeles moved its building, plumbing and mechanical codes to the 2025 editions (Ordinance 188,797) but not its fire code. The fire official decides which edition applies to you.

Wood Fires

Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure or combustible material.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.307 (Fire Code §307.4.2). Checked 2026-10-15.

A recreational fire is one whose fuel is not in an incinerator, outdoor fireplace, barbecue grill or barbecue pit and measures 3 ft or less across and 2 ft or less high (definitions). A portable outdoor fireplace, which the code defines as solid-fuel-burning, stays 15 ft away, except at one- and two-family dwellings (§307.4.3).

The location of every permanently installed outdoor burning device which is a separate structure to be used for cooking, decoration or entertainment, and within 10 feet of a building shall be approved by the Chief.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.307.6.2. Checked 2026-10-15.

Ask LAFD whether your build is a separate structure.

Hillside Zones

There shall be no open burning or smoking in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.4911.2 (Fire Code §4911.2). Checked 2026-10-15.

The code defines open burning to exclude recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces, so it does not say plainly whether a backyard wood fire is barred there. We found no LAFD statement either way, so ask LAFD first.

Burn Bans and No-Burn Days

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) declares No-Burn days for the South Coast Air Basin under Rule 445.

Rule 445(e) bars operating an indoor or outdoor "Wood-Burning Device, Portable Outdoor Wood-Burning Device, or Wood-Fired Cooking Device" on a declared No-Burn day in the PM2.5 season, November through February, below 3,000 feet above sea level. Paragraph (g) adds ozone No-Burn days, September through April, only after a U.S. EPA finding, and paragraph (i) lists exemptions.

South Coast AQMD, Rule 445, Wood-Burning Devices (amended September 5, 2025), (e), (g) and (c)(22). Checked 2026-10-15.

None of SCAQMD's three passages on gas names a gas or propane fire pit.

Wood-Based Fuel means "any wood, wood-based product, or non-gaseous or non-liquid fuel." The rule's wood-burning devices are defined by burning it.

South Coast AQMD, Rule 445, Wood-Burning Devices (amended September 5, 2025), (c)(19). Checked 2026-10-15.

A No-Burn day is "a 24-hour ban on wood-burning in residential fireplaces, stoves or outdoor fire pits." The page adds: "Gas fireplaces are also exempt."

South Coast AQMD, Check Before You Burn (residential No-Burn alerts). Checked 2026-10-15.

Rule 444 does not apply to "Open burning of natural gas, propane, untreated wood, or charcoal" for "Generating warmth at a social gathering," apart from the prohibitions in paragraphs (d)(3) and (d)(4).

South Coast AQMD, Rule 444, Open Burning (amended July 12, 2013), (h)(6)(B). Checked 2026-10-15.

SCAQMD's pages lag the rule: that page still lists a low-income exemption its FAQ says ended in September 2025, and the FAQ's 29 µg/m³ alert level differs from the rule's 25. Confirm gas use with the district. This page never shows live status: check SCAQMD's Check Before You Burn page before each wood fire.

LAFD's Red Flag page covers parking, not fire pits. Before adopting a Red Flag committee report on May 13, 2026, the City Council deleted its request for a City Attorney report on limiting residential fire pits and barbecues during Red Flag Warnings (Council File 25-0006-S35, Motion 5A).

Gas and Propane

The Fire Code does not name a gas or propane fire pit. The nearest text covers portable outdoor gas-fired heating appliances.

Portable outdoor gas-fired heating appliances shall be located not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) from buildings.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.605 (Fire Code §605.5.2.1.2). Checked 2026-10-15.

The code does not define that term or say whether a fire pit or fire table is one. Follow your unit's manual, ask LAFD how it classes your unit, and use the clearance checker for published manufacturer minimums.

For appliances permanently fixed in place, section 931.1.1 requires outdoor open flame decorative appliances to be listed to ANSI Z21.97/CSA 2.41 and installed per the manufacturer's installation instructions.

California, 2025 California Mechanical Code (Title 24, Part 4), §931.1 and §931.1.1. Checked 2026-10-15.

Rule 445(d)(2) limits what may be sold or installed as a "Permanently Installed indoor or outdoor Wood-Burning Device or gaseous-fueled device" to four types, one being a Dedicated Gaseous-Fueled Fireplace.

South Coast AQMD, Rule 445, Wood-Burning Devices (amended September 5, 2025), (d)(2). Checked 2026-10-15.

The rule never mentions fire pits, so ask SCAQMD whether a built-in gas feature counts.

An operational permit is required for the storage and use of LP-gas, but not for individual containers of 500 gallons water capacity or less serving Group R-3 occupancies.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.105 (Fire Code §105.5.29). Checked 2026-10-15.

A plumbing permit is required for the installation of any gas piping, except piping less than 6 feet in length between an existing gas outlet and a gas appliance in the same room.

Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, FAQ on plumbing permits for natural gas piping. Checked 2026-10-15.

LADBS issues low-pressure gas piping with up to 10 outlets as an express permit, without plan check. Hire a licensed plumbing contractor for gas work: the state's C-36 classification covers gas piping on the owner's side of the meter.

Permits and Who to Call

An operational permit is required for "the kindling or maintaining of an open fire or a fire" on public or private ground. The exception is recreational fires.

Los Angeles, Municipal Code §57.105 (Fire Code §105.5.34). Checked 2026-10-15.

Wood. A bonfire needs a permit from the Chief (§57.307.2).
Built-in device within 10 ft of a building. The Chief approves its location.
Gas line. A plumbing permit from LADBS. Ask LADBS whether a built-in unit also needs a building permit.

Call the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau at (213) 978-3570, as printed on LAFD's contact page. This page covers the City of Los Angeles only. The local authority having jurisdiction decides, and the fire official's reading governs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fire pits legal in Los Angeles?

Wood fires are allowed within limits. The Los Angeles Fire Code keeps a recreational fire 25 ft from a structure or combustible material, and a portable outdoor fireplace 15 ft except at one- and two-family homes. SCAQMD No-Burn days bar wood burning, and the code's open burning ban in the hillside fire zone may reach a backyard fire. The code names no gas or propane fire pit, so follow your unit's manual and ask the fire department.

Can I burn wood in my fire pit on a No-Burn day in Los Angeles?

Not on a declared No-Burn day, apart from the exemptions the rule lists. SCAQMD Rule 445 bars operating an indoor or outdoor wood-burning device, a portable outdoor wood-burning device or a wood-fired cooking device on those days in its November through February season, in areas below 3,000 ft. A separate ozone season, September through April, applies only after a U.S. EPA finding. Check SCAQMD's Check Before You Burn page each time before you light wood.

Do I need a permit for a fire pit in Los Angeles?

Not for a recreational wood fire, which the Fire Code's open-burning permit excepts. A bonfire needs a permit from the Fire Chief. A permanently installed outdoor burning device that is a separate structure within 10 ft of a building needs the Chief's approval of its location, and gas piping needs a plumbing permit from LADBS. Ask the fire department which applies to your build.

Can I use a gas or propane fire pit on a No-Burn day?

SCAQMD's No-Burn rule applies to wood-burning devices, and Rule 445 defines wood-based fuel as wood, wood-based products, or non-gaseous or non-liquid fuel. SCAQMD's Check Before You Burn page says gas fireplaces are exempt, and Rule 444 exempts open burning of natural gas or propane for warmth at a social gathering. None of them names a gas fire pit, so confirm with SCAQMD.

How far must a fire pit be from my house in Los Angeles?

A recreational fire, which the code limits to a fuel pile 3 ft or less across and 2 ft or less high, stays 25 ft from a structure or combustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace stays 15 ft away, except at one- and two-family homes. For a gas fire pit the Fire Code names no distance, so use your unit's installation manual and check the published manufacturer minimums in the clearance checker.

Can I have a fire pit in the Los Angeles hills?

The Fire Code says there shall be no open burning in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. It also defines open burning to exclude recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces, so the text does not say plainly whether a backyard wood fire is barred. We found no fire department statement either way. Ask the fire department before you light one.

This page is reference, not a permit. Your local authority having jurisdiction makes the final call, and their interpretation governs. Confirm before you build or buy.

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