Fire Pits and Fire Features on Long Island: Cost, Codes and Placement

A fire feature is the single most cost-effective way to extend how many months your patio actually gets used on Long Island. It turns October and April evenings from too cold into the best nights of the year, and it does it for a fraction of what a roofed structure or outdoor kitchen costs.

Cost on Long Island

• Built-in wood-burning masonry fire pit: roughly $2,500–6,500
• Gas fire pit with burner kit, plumbed: roughly $5,000–12,000
• Gas fire table or linear feature: roughly $6,000–18,000
• Full fire pit with surrounding seat wall: roughly $8,000–20,000
• Outdoor masonry fireplace: roughly $12,000–35,000+

The gas line run is often the largest single variable. A fire pit fifteen feet from the house with an accessible route is straightforward. One at the back of a long yard, trenching under an existing patio, is a different number.

Gas or Wood?

Wood-burning costs less, needs no utility, and delivers the crackle and smell people actually want from a fire. The tradeoffs are smoke, ash cleanup, wood storage, and the fact that on a still night the smoke goes wherever it wants, including your neighbor's open windows.

Natural gas is instant, controllable, produces no smoke or ash, and can be shut off the moment you go inside. It costs more up front and needs a permitted line, and the flame is undeniably less satisfying. For most Long Island properties — where lots are close together and smoke complaints are real — gas is the more neighborly and more frequently used option.

Propane from a concealed tank is a middle path where a natural gas run is impractical.

Codes and Clearances

Rules for open burning and fire features vary meaningfully across Long Island towns, villages and fire districts, and some communities restrict wood burning outright. Before you build, check with your town or village and, where applicable, your fire district. Common requirements include a minimum distance from structures, property lines and combustible materials such as fences and overhanging trees, and a spark screen on wood-burning units.

Practical clearance guidance that most jurisdictions land near: keep a fire pit at least 10 to 25 feet from the house and any combustible structure, well clear of tree canopy, and away from where prevailing wind will carry embers toward the house. Gas installations require a permit and inspection for the line in essentially every jurisdiction.

Also check your homeowner's insurance. Some carriers ask to be notified about permanent fire features, and an unpermitted gas line is exactly the kind of thing that complicates a claim.

Building It So It Lasts

• Firebrick liner. A wood-burning pit needs a firebrick or steel liner. Standard concrete block and pavers are not rated for direct flame contact and will spall and crack from thermal cycling.
• Drainage. A pit that holds water will freeze and split. Wood pits need a gravel base or a drain; gas pits need a drain in the burner pan.
• Frost-depth footing for large features. A small pit can float on compacted base. A full outdoor fireplace is a heavy structure and needs a proper footing below frost.
• Non-combustible surround. Pavers or stone extending a few feet in all directions. Do not put a fire pit on a wood deck without a rated barrier and manufacturer approval.
• Cover or cap it in winter. Keeping water and snow out of the pit is most of what keeps it intact.

Placement That Gets It Used

The fire pits that get used are close to the house, sheltered from prevailing wind, and sized so the seating works for the number of people who actually gather. A common design mistake is building a pit so large that people sit too far apart to talk. A 36 to 48 inch interior diameter with seating about three feet back suits most families.

Think about wind. On the South Shore and East End, an exposed pit in an open yard is unpleasant on a breezy night. Tucking it against a seat wall, a hedge or the lee side of the house makes it far more usable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fire pits legal on Long Island?
Rules vary by town, village and fire district, and some communities restrict wood burning. Gas features generally require a permit for the line. Check with your local building department and fire district before building.

How far should a fire pit be from the house?
Most jurisdictions land somewhere between 10 and 25 feet from structures and combustible materials. Confirm the specific requirement locally, and account for tree canopy overhead as well.

Can I put a fire pit on my deck?
Only with a manufacturer-approved unit and a rated non-combustible barrier, and often only for gas units. A masonry wood-burning pit does not belong on a wood deck.

Which is cheaper to run, gas or wood?
Wood is cheaper per evening if you have a wood source, but gas is far cheaper in time and cleanup. Natural gas running cost for a typical evening is modest.

Related Reading

• Outdoor Kitchens — the bigger outdoor living investment
• Paver Patio Cost — the surface it sits on
• Retaining Walls and Seat Walls — building the seating around it
• Outdoor Lighting — the other way to extend the evening
• Best Time to Build — booking for next season