Portland, Oregon Fire Pit Laws: Wood, Gas and Propane Rules
Portland follows the 2025 Oregon Fire Code with its own amendments, and a wood fire stays 25 ft from structures with no permit. None of the Portland rules we read says whether a gas fire pit is covered, so this page shows what each authority says and where the answer is missing.
Last verified .
Adopted code the 2025 Oregon Fire Code (the 2024 International Fire Code as amended by the State Fire Marshal) with Portland amendments, adopted by Ordinance 192231 on September 23, 2026
Source: Portland City Code §31.10.050(E) and §31.10.030(H) (Ordinance 192231, passed September 23, 2026); OAR 837-040-0010 (OSFM 6-2025, effective October 1, 2025). Checked .At a Glance
Portland fire pit rules at a glance, each with its source and the date we checked it.
Wood fire pit
- What the code says
- Lawful when no burn ban or air quality restriction is in force: a fire up to 3 ft across and 2 ft high, at least 25 ft from a structure or combustible material, with the property owner's permission and no permit. Someone must attend it until it is out.
- Checked
Portable gas or propane fire pit or table
- What the code says
- We found no Portland section that names a gas fire pit or sets a distance for one, so check your unit's manual for its clearance. For propane, Portland's fire code requires a permit for storage or use of more than 17 ounces of LP-gas, except as Section 6103 allows, and its text has no residential exception. We found no city guidance on whether a fire pit counts, so ask Portland Fire & Rescue.
- Checked
Permanently installed gas feature
- What the code says
- Gas piping to an appliance, indoors or outdoors, needs a residential mechanical permit from Portland Permitting & Development, whose pages do not name fire pits. A stationary propane tank or its piping at a one- or two-family home needs a Portland Fire & Rescue permit. A fixed outdoor decorative appliance must be listed to ANSI Z21.97 and installed to its manufacturer's instructions under Oregon's residential code.
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Who Decides
The offices that decide fire pit rules in Portland, each with its official page and the date we checked it.
Portland Fire & Rescue, Fire Marshal's Office
- Role
- Enforces Title 31 and the Portland amendments to the Oregon Fire Code, sets the recreational fire rules (FIR-3.08) and issues city burn bans. Phone 503-823-3700, as printed on the burn ban page.
- Official page
- portland.gov
- Checked
Portland Fire & Rescue, Fire Permit Center
- Role
- Takes fire code permit applications, including portable propane device permits and tank and cylinder installation permits. Phone 503-823-3712, as printed on the forms page.
- Official page
- portland.gov
- Checked
Multnomah County Fire Defense Board
- Role
- Fire chiefs from all county fire agencies. It joined Portland Fire & Rescue in issuing the June 2026 burn ban, and its 2025 release said each agency may tailor its own ban.
- Official page
- multco.us
- Checked
Multnomah County Health Department, Environmental Health
- Role
- Issues Yellow and Red Day air quality advisories under County Code chapter 21 and enforces the Red Day limit on wood burning devices and recreational burning. Phone 503-988-0035, as printed on its page.
- Official page
- multco.us
- Checked
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
- Role
- Sets the state open burning rules (OAR 340-264), exempts recreational fires from most of them, and can prohibit open burning on air quality days through the State Fire Marshal.
- Official page
- oregon.gov
- Checked
Portland Permitting & Development
- Role
- Issues residential mechanical permits for gas piping, indoors or outdoors, and inspects the work. Residential Inspections 503-823-7388, as printed on its page.
- Official page
- portland.gov
- Checked
Oregon State Fire Marshal, LP-gas program
- Role
- Licenses the companies and fitters who install LP-gas piping and appliances. State rules keep this licensing with the State Fire Marshal inside Portland.
- Official page
- oregon.gov
- Checked
What the City Code Says
Portland administers its own fire regulations as an exempt jurisdiction. On September 23, 2026, the City Council passed Ordinance 192231, which adopts whichever Oregon Fire Code edition the state has in effect, with Portland amendments: today the 2025 Oregon Fire Code, built on the 2024 International Fire Code. The previous adoption was the 2023 Portland Fire Code (committee staff summary).
"The City adopts the current Edition of the Oregon Fire Code with amendments."
Portland's amendments (Exhibit B) leave Section 307 unchanged. The adopted code's Section 307.4.2 sets 25 ft for a recreational fire, and the open-burning permit keeps its exception for recreational fires.
Portland Fire & Rescue's policy FIR-3.08 is the Fire Marshal's rule for outdoor burning. It also requires the owner's permission and constant attendance, and it sets 15 ft for a portable outdoor fireplace, a solid-fuel unit, except at one- and two-family dwellings.
"Recreational fire: maximum 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high; minimum 25 feet from structures or combustible material." Also: "A permit is not required for a lawful recreational fire unless otherwise required by law."
One city source disagrees. The notice lifting the 2026 burn ban, dated October 15, 2026, asks for flames under 24 inches and at least 15 ft from any structure, and it cites no section. The code and the policy say 25 ft, so use 25 ft and treat the notice as guidance.
Neither Chapter 3 of the fire code nor FIR-3.08 mentions gas or propane fire pits, and we found no Portland section that sets a distance for one. Use the clearance checker for manufacturer minimums. The Oregon page has the statewide rules.
Burn Bans and No-Burn Days
Four authorities can stop a fire on a given day: Portland's Fire Marshal, the Multnomah County Fire Defense Board of county fire chiefs, the county Health Department (Red Days) and DEQ (air quality days). This page states no current status.
"The burn ban includes recreational campfires, fire pits, yard debris, agricultural burning and permits issued for open burning until further notice." It allows "Outdoor barbecuing (grills, smokers, and similar cooking appliances with clean, dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, natural gas, or similar fuels)."
That is all the notice says about gas: propane and natural gas appear once, as fuels for cooking appliances. It names "fire pits" without a fuel and does not say whether a gas fire pit is covered.
"Unless exempted from complying with this subchapter or otherwise allowed by state law, no person shall operate a wood burning device or permit recreational burning during a red day air quality advisory."
Section 21.452 defines a wood burning device as a heating appliance, including firepits, "capable of burning wood fuel," and recreational burning as "any outdoor burning" on property zoned residential or commercial. The county's wood burning page calls it a wood burning restriction. Nothing we read says whether a gas fire pit counts.
DEQ's open burning rules exempt recreational fires from most requirements, but not from the bar on burning on days DEQ has prohibited it for air quality. They do not mention gas fire pits.
Gas and Propane
"Permanently fixed-in-place outdoor decorative appliances shall be listed in accordance with ANSI Z21.97 and shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions."
The 2026 edition took effect October 1, 2026, with the 2023 edition usable through March 31, 2027 (OAR 918-480-0005). We have not read its text.
Portland rewrote the fire code's LP-gas permit. The state version exempts containers of 500 gallons water capacity or less serving Group R-3 occupancies. Portland's has no such exception and requires a permit above 17 ounces.
An operational permit is required for "Storage or use of LP-gas in excess of 17 ounces," with this exception: "Storage or use of LP-gas as allowed in Section 6103."
Section 6103 sends LP-gas equipment installation to the International Fuel Gas Code and NFPA 58 and limits portable containers inside buildings. It does not mention fire pits. City Code §31.40.020 lists the same threshold among its temporary permits. The text does not say whether a backyard fire pit counts, and the Fire Marshal's published propane guidance, a vending page and a permit form, is written for carts, food trucks and event booths.
A permit is required to install, alter or remove "any stationary tank, equipment or piping containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in one- and two-family dwellings."
A gas line is a separate permit. Portland Permitting & Development requires a residential mechanical permit for gas piping, indoors or outdoors, between the gas meter or gas line and an appliance. Its pages do not name fire pits, and one says contractors doing mechanical work need an Oregon Construction Contractors Board license. We found no rule on who may install natural gas piping. For propane piping, hire a company licensed by the State Fire Marshal, which keeps LP-gas licensing inside Portland (OAR 837-039-0050). The Building Codes Division says the State Fire Marshal's licensing law reaches homeowners too.
Permits and Who to Call
- Wood fire. No fire permit within the size, distance and owner's permission rules.
- Portable gas or propane fire pit. No Portland page names a permit. Ask the Fire Permit Center whether the 17 ounce LP-gas permit applies.
- Gas piping. A residential mechanical permit from Portland Permitting & Development, applied for on DevHub, inspected before the pipe is covered and at final.
- Stationary propane tank or piping at a home. A Portland Fire & Rescue permit, on its tank and cylinder application, form 300.15.
- A disputed Fire Marshal decision. Written notice of appeal to the Fire Marshal within 10 days (City Code §31.10.080).
Phone numbers are in the table above. This page covers the City of Portland; other cities and fire districts in the county set their own burn rules. Portland Fire & Rescue's reading governs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fire pits legal in Portland, Oregon?
Wood ones can be. Portland Fire & Rescue's policy allows a recreational fire up to 3 ft across and 2 ft high, 25 ft from structures or combustible material, with the owner's permission and no permit. A burn ban or a Multnomah County Red Day stops it. Portland's rules do not say how they treat gas fire pits, so ask the department before relying on one.
Can I use a gas or propane fire pit during a burn ban in Portland?
The city's notice does not say. The June 15, 2026 ban named fire pits without a fuel and listed propane and natural gas only as fuels for outdoor barbecuing appliances. The county's Red Day rule covers wood burning devices and recreational burning, and does not say whether gas counts. Ask Portland Fire & Rescue and Multnomah County Environmental Health before you light one.
Do I need a permit for a propane fire pit in Portland?
Portland's fire code requires an operational permit for storage or use of more than 17 ounces of LP-gas, except as Section 6103 allows, and its text has no residential exception. We found no city guidance on whether a backyard fire pit counts, and the Fire Marshal's published propane permit is written for vendors. A stationary propane tank or its piping at a home needs a permit from Portland Fire & Rescue.
Do I need a permit for a gas line to a fire pit in Portland?
Portland Permitting & Development requires a residential mechanical permit to install, repair or alter gas piping, indoors or outdoors, between the gas meter or gas line and an appliance. Its pages do not name fire pits, so confirm with the bureau. Use a contractor licensed by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board, and for propane a company licensed by the State Fire Marshal.
How far does a fire pit need to be from my house in Portland?
A wood recreational fire stays 25 ft from a structure or combustible material under the fire code and the Fire Marshal's policy. A notice lifting the 2026 ban said a minimum of 15 ft, but it cites no section. A portable outdoor fireplace is 15 ft, except at one- and two-family homes. No Portland section we found sets a distance for a gas fire pit.
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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