Can You Put a Fire Pit Under an Awning?
Quick answer
A wood-burning fire pit should never sit under an awning: the Solo Stove and UniFlame instructions both say not to use the pit "under any overhead" or near unprotected combustible construction, and Outland says the same for its propane Firebowl. Gas fire tables are the only fire pits whose manuals give an overhead distance, and it is large: 72 in from the ceiling or from combustibles above (Best Choice, California Outdoor Design, EcoSmart Fire), 80 in for the Outland Firebowl, 96 in for The Outdoor Plus. Side clearances run 24 to 48 in. At a house the fire code's 15 ft rule for portable fire pits does not apply, so the manual is the rule; built-in wood fire rings count as recreational fires, which the model code keeps 25 ft from structures. With a typical retractable awning, retract it and keep the pit outside its footprint.
No for a wood-burning fire pit, and only rarely for a gas one. The instructions for Solo Stove fire pits say "Do not use Solo Stove fire pits under any overhead or near any unprotected combustible constructions," and the UniFlame outdoor firebowl manual from Blue Rhino uses almost the same words. A fabric awning is an unprotected combustible overhead by any reading, so a wood fire belongs outside its footprint with the awning retracted. Gas fire tables are different only in degree: the manuals that allow anything overhead want 72 to 96 inches between the fire and combustible material above it, which a patio awning almost never provides.
Two answers circulate. One says smokeless and propane pits are fine under cover; the other quotes a code distance of 15 feet. Neither is right as stated. The manuals, not the fuel's reputation, decide whether a pit may run under an overhead at all, and the 15 ft code distance is horizontal, applies to wood-burning portable pits, and exempts houses. Both are set out below, with the figures from eight manuals.
Clearances from the fire pit manuals
Figures are as printed in each maker's instructions. "Overhead" is the distance to combustible material or a ceiling above the fire; the measuring point differs by manual and is given where the manual states it.
| Fire pit and manual | Fuel | Under an overhead? | Overhead | Sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Stove fire pits (general instructions for the range) | Wood | No: "under any overhead" is prohibited | None given | None given; keep the area clear of combustible materials |
| UniFlame outdoor firebowl WAF501CS (Blue Rhino) | Wood | No: "under any overhead or near any unprotected combustible constructions" | None given | None given; not on wooden decks |
| Outland Firebowl Cypress, model FMPPC2F, series 863 (58,000 BTU/h) | Propane | No: "Do not use this appliance under overhead combustible surfaces" | 80 in (top) | 36 in |
| Best Choice Products 35 in propane fire pit table SKY5230 | Propane | Only with clearance: area above must be "free from combustible objects/constructions" | 72 in above | 48 in |
| California Outdoor Design fire pit tables WELLFP and CDFP series | Propane | Gives a ceiling figure; checklist also says "outdoors (outside any enclosure)" | 72 in from ceiling | 24 in sides, 24 in rear |
| EcoSmart Fire fire pit kits (MAD Design USA), propane and natural gas | Gas | Gives a ceiling figure, measured from the flame | 72 in from top of burner to an overhang; 78.7 in (2000 mm) to movable items such as curtains or trees | 24 in to fixed furniture, measured from the flame edge |
| The Outdoor Plus Match Lit fire pits | Gas | Not "under a sealed overhead structure"; do not overheat "overhead combustible material such as a patio cover" | 96 in, measured from the hearth | 48 in sides and back |
| The Outdoor Plus 12VAC electronic fire bowls | Gas | Clearance diagram applies "to any gas fire feature" | 96 in from combustibles overhead | 48 in from structure or combustibles |
Three things stand out. Neither wood-burning manual gives any overhead distance, because neither permits an overhead at all. The gas figures cluster at 72 inches, with Outland at 80 and The Outdoor Plus at 96. And the Outland Firebowl, the best-known portable propane pit, prints an 80 inch top clearance and still forbids overhead combustible surfaces outright, so its 80 inches cannot be read as permission to sit under fabric.
Read your own manual: clearances appear in the warnings near the front and again in the checklist before lighting. Check both, and if your model gives a larger number or a flat prohibition, the manual wins.
Wood-burning vs gas: why the answers differ
A wood fire throws embers and smoke, and its flame height depends on how much wood is loaded. Solo Stove's instructions warn owners to "be aware of potential damage to people and property from embers" and say not to use the pits in windy conditions. A smokeless pit burns more of its smoke through secondary combustion, but it still burns open wood, and Solo Stove's own instructions make no exception for overhead cover. "Smokeless" describes the smoke, not the clearance.
A gas fire table has a fixed burner, a set maximum input and no embers, which is why its makers can print a ceiling number. It is still a large open flame. The Outland Firebowl Cypress is rated at 58,000 BTU/h, and that heat rises straight up into whatever is above it.
Gas tables also have a ventilation side. The California Outdoor Design manual says the table "consumes air (oxygen)" and must not be used in unventilated or enclosed areas, and its checklist before lighting asks that wind be below 10 mph. An awning with side curtains or a closed drop shade starts to look like the enclosure every one of these manuals rules out.
What the fire code says, and who it covers
The International Fire Code (IFC) has two distances that matter here, and both are horizontal.
- Portable outdoor fireplaces, Section 307.4.3. As set out in Fairfax County's guideline on the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, portable outdoor fireplaces "shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet of a structure or combustible material." The sole exception covers portable outdoor fireplaces used at one- and two-family dwellings. The code defines these as portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplaces, which Fairfax says includes chimineas and fire pits.
- Recreational fires, Section 307.4.2. "Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material," in the 2018 IFC text reproduced by Knox County, Tennessee, and in Washington's adopted code. A recreational fire is one not contained in a portable outdoor fireplace, grill or similar device, with a fuel area of 3 ft or less in diameter and 2 ft or less in height: in practice, a wood fire in a ring or built-in pit. Neither text quoted carries a dwelling exception.
So at a detached house or duplex, a portable wood pit such as a Solo Stove is outside the 15 ft rule, and its manual sets the limits, which rule out any overhead. A built-in wood fire ring falls under the 25 ft recreational fire rule where a jurisdiction has adopted that text. Gas fire tables are not solid-fuel fireplaces, so neither section reaches them; their listing (the California Outdoor Design tables cite ANSI Z21.97, the standard for outdoor decorative gas appliances) and their manual govern.
The "15 feet of overhead clearance" figure repeated on fire pit and pergola blogs appears in none of the eight manuals checked. Fifteen feet is the 307.4.3 distance from a structure, measured sideways, and houses are exempt from it. Apartments, condos and commercial patios are not, and a city, HOA or landlord can add stricter rules; awning permits and HOA rules covers how those documents usually work.
How high the awning would have to be over a gas fire table
Where a gas manual does allow something overhead, the figure is measured from the fire, not the patio. Add the height of the burner or hearth above the ground to the manual's overhead number, and that is the minimum height of the lowest fabric anywhere above the flame.
Measure to the lowest point of the fabric, not to the brackets. A retractable awning slopes down from the wall, so it is lowest at the front bar and the valance. The projection and pitch guide shows the arithmetic: a 10 ft awning at 14 degrees drops about 29 inches from bracket to front bar.
Worked example
Say a propane fire table's burner sits 24 in above the patio.
California Outdoor Design or Best Choice (72 in above): 24 + 72 = 96 in, so the fabric over the flame must be at least 8 ft off the patio. Outland (80 in): 104 in, about 8 ft 8 in, and its manual still forbids combustible overhead surfaces. The Outdoor Plus (96 in from the hearth): 120 in, a full 10 ft.
An awning whose front bar sits at 84 in (7 ft), a common target in the awning mounting height guide, clears none of them. With brackets at 113 in (9 ft 5 in) and that 29 in drop over 10 ft, the fabric falls about 2.9 in per foot of projection, so it stays above 96 in only within about 5 ft 10 in of the wall. The table would have to sit between the 24 in side clearance from the house wall and that line, and the house wall itself counts as a combustible if it is wood or vinyl clad.
In practice that leaves very little patio. It also assumes your manual is one of those that print a ceiling figure; with an Outland Firebowl, a Solo Stove or a UniFlame bowl, no height of fabric makes it compliant.
What to do with a fire pit and an awning
- Retract the awning before lighting a fire. Heat, embers and smoke film all end up on the underside of the fabric, the hardest face to clean; see awning stain removal for soot and smoke marks.
- Place the pit outside the awning's footprint plus the side clearance. For a 10 ft projection and a 48 in side figure, that is at least 14 ft from the house wall to the nearest edge of the fire. Measure from the front bar and valance, which hang lowest.
- Remember the rolled fabric. A retracted awning is still a roll of fabric on the wall. A gas table pushed against the house sits under it, so the manual's overhead figure applies to the roll and its hood.
- Keep LP cylinders away from the fire. Solo Stove's instructions say not to store or use LP gas cylinders within 30 feet of its pits while they are burning, which matters on a patio that also has a grill or heater.
- Do not light it in wind. Solo Stove and The Outdoor Plus both say not to use their pits in windy conditions, and your awning should be closed in that wind anyway; see awning wind ratings.
- Keep an extinguisher or hose at hand. IFC Section 307.5, as quoted by Knox County, requires constant attendance and a 4-A extinguisher or equivalent (dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose) for recreational fires and outdoor fireplaces.
Does a fire-rated awning fabric change the answer?
No. Fabric certified to NFPA 701 is tested for how it spreads flame, not for how it handles a fire burning below it for an evening. The guide to awning codes and fire ratings explains what that test certifies, and the awning fabric guide covers how acrylic, polyester and vinyl differ. None of the manuals above makes an exception for treated fabric: they speak of combustible material, and a treated awning is still one.
The same reasoning sits behind this site's other clearance guides. A patio heater under an awning needs 2 to 3 ft above its reflector, and a gas grill, by Weber's US manual, should not run under overhead combustible construction at all (see can you grill under an awning). A fire pit puts out more open flame than either, with less shielding, so its numbers are larger.
Pergolas, metal covers and open roofs
An aluminum or steel roof is not combustible, but the Solo Stove and UniFlame lines prohibit "any overhead," not only combustible ones, so a wood pit still stays out from under it. For gas tables, a noncombustible roof meets the "combustible objects" wording, but wood beams, rafters, fascia and polycarbonate glazing do not, and The Outdoor Plus still rules out a sealed overhead structure. The cover types are compared in metal and polycarbonate awnings.
A slatted pergola is wood overhead with gaps. If a fire pit is the centerpiece of the seating area, place it beyond the pergola or awning and shade the seats instead; awning vs pergola compares the two structures, and deck awnings covers a deck, where UniFlame rules out wooden decks for its bowl and Solo Stove says use on wood or composite decks is "at your own risk."
Where this answer stops applying
- Other models. These eight manuals cover the main types of fire pit, not every one sold. Gas side clearances alone range from 24 to 48 in.
- Apartments, condos and commercial patios. The one- and two-family exception does not cover them, so the 15 ft portable fireplace rule applies to wood pits, and fire marshals can restrict gas appliances under canopies. See restaurant awnings for commercial patios.
- Local burn rules. Air quality bans, burn permits and local amendments to Section 307 can restrict wood fires further than the model code.
- Pizza ovens. Wood and gas pizza ovens carry their own manual distances, from 40 in to 10 ft depending on the brand and edition; see can you use a pizza oven under an awning.
- Tabletop and ethanol burners. Small tabletop fire bowls have their own manuals and figures, which this page did not check.
Frequently asked questions
How far should a fire pit be from an awning?
Outside the awning's footprint, plus the side clearance in your manual: 24 in for the California Outdoor Design and EcoSmart Fire gas tables, 36 in for the Outland Firebowl, 48 in for Best Choice and The Outdoor Plus. Wood-burning pits should not be under any overhead, so retract the awning before lighting.
Can a propane fire pit go under a covered patio?
Only if its manual gives an overhead figure and the roof clears it. Most that do ask for 72 in above the fire, The Outdoor Plus asks for 96 in, and the Outland Firebowl forbids overhead combustible surfaces entirely. Keep the sides open: Outland, Best Choice, California Outdoor Design and The Outdoor Plus all rule out enclosed areas.
Is there a law against a fire pit near my house?
At a detached house or duplex, the IFC's 15 ft distance for portable wood-burning fire pits does not apply, but the manual does. Built-in wood fire rings are recreational fires, which the 2018 IFC keeps 25 ft from structures where that text is adopted. Check your local fire code and any burn bans.
Sources and further reading
- Solo Stove: Solo Stove fire pits, instructions and other information (user warnings)
- Blue Rhino Global Sourcing: UniFlame outdoor firebowl WAF501CS owner's manual
- FMI Brands (Outland Living): Outland Firebowl Cypress owner and safety manual, model FMPPC2F, series 863
- Best Choice Products: 35-inch propane fire pit table SKY5230 instruction manual
- California Outdoor Design: Outdoor fire pit table owner's manual, WELLFP and CDFP models
- EcoSmart Fire (MAD Design USA): Fire pit kits, clearances and installation manual, propane and natural gas
- The Outdoor Plus: Match Lit fire pit manual
- The Outdoor Plus: 12VAC fire bowl installation manual
- Fairfax County Fire Marshal: Portable fireplaces code compliance guideline (Sections 307.4.3 and 307.4.4)
- Knox County Code Administration: Recreational fire pits, per the 2018 International Fire Code
- Washington State Legislature: WAC 51-54A-0307, open burning, recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces
How we write our guides: figures are typical US ranges checked against manufacturer documentation, published standards and installer pricing. Read our editorial standards. Spotted an error or outdated detail? Request a correction.