Are Outdoor Fireplaces Worth It in Arizona?

An outdoor fireplace is worth it in Arizona when your household will use it on cool evenings and its fuel fits local burn rules. In Maricopa County, wood may not burn in a fireplace on a No Burn Day, and fires for warmth and recreation are prohibited from May 1 to September 30 in Area A. Gas may burn on a No Burn Day, but it needs a gas line brought to the fireplace.

Table of contents

• When would you use an outdoor fireplace here?
• What do Maricopa County's burn rules mean for wood?
• How do wood and gas compare?
• What does a gas line add to the project?
• Does your HOA have to approve it?
• When is an outdoor fireplace not worth it?
• Frequently asked questions
• Sources
• About the author

When would you use an outdoor fireplace here?

Start with the calendar. The National Weather Service's 1991 to 2020 normals for Phoenix, measured at Phoenix Sky Harbor, put the average January low at 46.0 degrees Fahrenheit and the average January high at 67.6. The July normals are a low of 84.5 and a high of 106.5. A fire is welcome on a January evening and hard to want on a July one.

So the season for an outdoor fireplace here runs from late fall into early spring, in the evenings. Count how many of those evenings your household spends outside now:

• If the patio already gets used after dark in winter, a fireplace gives that time a place to gather and some warmth.
• If the patio sits empty from November to March, ask what would change that. A fireplace is one answer, and a permanent one to test.

The county's rules point the same way: they take fires for warmth and recreation off the calendar in Area A from May through September.

What do Maricopa County's burn rules mean for wood?

Maricopa County's Air Quality Department regulates burning, and the county's ordinance P-26 covers any chiminea, outdoor fireplace or other outdoor device at a residence that burns solid fuel. For wood, that means:

• No Burn Days. Burning anything other than gaseous fuels, gas logs included, in a fireplace, woodstove or chimenea is prohibited on a No Burn Day. P-26 also bars operating an outdoor fireplace that burns solid fuel during a declared restricted-burn period.
• May 1 to September 30 in Area A. The county's Burning Activities page lists fires for warmth, fires for recreation, and wood-burning chimeneas and outdoor pits among the fires prohibited in those months. That list does not name a masonry fireplace with a chimney, so if you plan to burn wood in one during those months, ask the Air Quality Department how the rule reads for it. Area A is a boundary the county shows on its Planning Area Maps page; check whether your address falls inside it.
• What may burn. When no restriction is in effect, nothing but gaseous fuels or clean, dry wood may burn. P-26 defines seasoned wood as wood with a moisture content of 20 percent or less, measured with a moisture meter.
• When restrictions come. P-26 says a restricted-burn period is declared when air pollution levels could exceed air quality standards, and the county says air pollution from wood smoke is higher especially during the winter months. Those are the months a fireplace gets used.

To learn whether a given day is a No Burn Day, the county points to its Clean Air Mobile App and a phone line, both listed on its Burning Activities page.

These are Maricopa County's rules. Other counties set their own: the Town of Queen Creek's burn permit page, for example, sends residents to either the Maricopa County or the Pinal County rules, depending on their county.

How do wood and gas compare?

Gas is the fuel that keeps a fireplace usable on the nights the county restricts wood. Wood is the fuel that needs no gas line, at the cost of those nights. If you might start with wood and add a gas log set later, ask at the start whether the fireplace should be laid out for a gas line, so the masonry does not have to be opened again.

What does a gas line add to the project?

A gas fireplace needs its fuel brought to it, and that is work of its own:

• A permit where the city requires one. In the City of Phoenix, any new gas piping installation needs a city permit, a city inspection and a gas clearance. The Town of Queen Creek has adopted the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, and its accessory structure page, about structures such as patio covers and ramadas, says electrical and gas permits are also required if proposed; ask the Town how that applies to a fireplace. Other cities and towns set their own rules, so ask yours before work starts.
• A route. The line runs from an existing gas supply to the fireplace. The farther the fireplace sits from that supply, the longer the run and the more ground it crosses.
• Propane instead. Where there is no natural gas service, a fireplace can burn propane; the county describes gas fireplaces as designed to burn either natural gas or propane. The propane still has to be brought to the fireplace.

The license words on ROC 153059 name fireplaces and no gas work. Ask any contractor which license covers a gas line and who will run it; for a Big B's quote, that is settled with you at the first contact.

Does your HOA have to approve it?

In a planned community, check before you draw anything:

• The committee. Arizona law (A.R.S. 33-1817) requires a planned community's design review or architectural committee to include at least one member of the board of directors, who chairs it. It also says approval of a construction project's architectural designs, plans and amendments shall not unreasonably be withheld.
• The CC&Rs. The Town of Queen Creek's accessory structure page also tells residents that an HOA or CC&Rs may impose further restrictions on accessory structures, and to consult the HOA and review the CC&Rs before beginning construction. The advice fits any backyard project the CC&Rs cover.
• The drawing. Bring the committee the fireplace's location, its height, its materials and colors, and its fuel. If the chimney will rise above a wall or sit near a property line, show that too.

When is an outdoor fireplace not worth it?

An honest answer includes the cases where it is not:

• No one sits outside in winter now. A fireplace is a permanent piece of masonry. If the habit is not there, try a season of evenings outside before you commit.
• You want wood fires and nothing else. Expect some of the evenings you most want a fire to be No Burn Days, and plan for gas logs or a night off on those.
• The HOA or CC&Rs limit the design until it no longer fits what you want.
• The yard is small or you may move. A built fireplace stays with the house. A unit bought and set down can be moved or taken with you; the outdoor fireplaces page compares the two.
• You want resale value. No figure fits every house, and none is given here. Judge it on use.

It is worth it for a household that already spends winter evenings outside, has a fuel plan that fits the county's rules, and has a spot in the yard that works with the rest of the layout. If a grill counter is also in your plan, the BBQ islands page covers what an island quote has to settle, and the BBQ island cost guide lists what moves its number.

For an outdoor fireplace, request a quote or call Big B's at 480-807-5499. Big B's Bbq's and Beehives Inc, ROC 153059, is licensed for BBQ's and fireplaces, planters and decorative walls, and the Registrar restricts the license to that work. Wood or gas, and who runs any gas line, is settled with you at the first contact.

Frequently asked questions

Does an outdoor fireplace add value to a home?

No figure fits every house, and none is given here. Judge an outdoor fireplace on how often your household will use it on cool evenings.

Is a gas outdoor fireplace worth the gas line?

It is if you want fires on the nights wood is restricted. In Maricopa County, gaseous fuels may burn in a fireplace on a No Burn Day and wood may not. The gas line is work of its own and may need a city permit, as new gas piping does in Phoenix.

Can a wood-burning outdoor fireplace be switched to gas later?

It can be planned for. Maricopa County encourages converting wood-burning fireplaces to natural gas, and a conversion needs a gas line brought to the fireplace. If you may switch later, ask at the start whether the fireplace should be laid out for a gas line.

Is an outdoor fireplace useful in summer?

Not often. Normal July lows at Phoenix Sky Harbor are 84.5 degrees, and Maricopa County lists fires for warmth and recreation among those prohibited from May 1 to September 30 in Area A. Plan on using it from late fall to early spring.

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About the author

Big B's is based in Queen Creek, Arizona, and has been licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors since March 2000. Its license, Big B's Bbq's and Beehives Inc, ROC 153059, is a Specialty Dual CR-5 license, restricted by the Registrar to BBQ's and fireplaces, planters and decorative walls.