Scottsdale, AZ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

1, added to the International Residential Code by Scottsdale Code § 31-58, fixes the 8-foot and 10-foot minimum setbacks for outdoor wood-burning fire pits, fireplaces, and woodstoves. Two exceptions soften that line: where the property line abuts a street or alley, the applicable setback instead follows the Zoning Ordinance, and the building official may approve a smaller setback if the applicant meets safety standards. 3). 4 requires a permit for constructing, installing, or altering any outdoor fireplace, woodstove, fire pit, or similar gas, electric, or solid-fuel device, with a narrow carve-out for a bare masonry surround; the permit application must include a site plan showing the device's distance from the property line, alley, right-of-way, and other structures on the lot.

2, applies the same 8-foot/10-foot setbacks to multi-family properties. Properties that also sit within a Fire Code Appendix O hazardous fire area face an additional layer: outdoor fires there generally need a fire code official permit and a 30-foot clearance from combustible growth under Appendix O, a separate requirement from the residential setback.