Gainesville, FL Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 10-68 of the fire prevention chapter regulates patio wood-burning units separately from the outdoor wood-fired boilers covered in Section 10-67, and separately from the general open-burning permit system in Sections 10-63 through 10-70. A patio wood-burning unit, defined in Section 10-62 as a chimney, patio warmer, or other portable wood-burning device used for outdoor recreation and/or heating, does not need a burning permit, but five conditions apply: it cannot be used to burn refuse, it can burn only clean wood or a commercially prepared log product designed for outdoor burning, it must sit at least 25 feet from the nearest structure not on the same property, it cannot create a hazard or nuisance for neighboring property, and any commercially prepared log product must be used according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

That 25-foot setback is far shorter than the 500-foot separation Section 10-67 imposes on a wood-fired boiler, reflecting that a patio fire pit or chimenea is treated as a much lower-risk backyard fixture. Gainesville Fire Rescue's Risk Reduction Bureau can still act against a patio unit under the nuisance and hazard clause even where the setback and fuel rules are met, and Section 10-72 makes the person maintaining an outdoor fire liable for suppression costs and any damage it causes.