i30 Builders · Rockwall, TX
Fire Pits and Outdoor Fireplaces in Rockwall
We design and build fire pits and outdoor fireplaces in Rockwall and pull the permits. Rockwall sets the size of a pit and where it can sit, so the design starts there.
Permits handled · Written scope and price before any deposit
Free site visit · written scope · lump-sum price
Rated 5.0 on Google$1M GL + $1M Umbrella1-year workmanship warranty
Get a written estimate
Four fields. We call back within one business day to set up the site visit.
- GL + umbrella coverage
- $1M + $1M
- Workmanship warranty
- 1-yr
- Cities served
- 33
What fire pit can I build in Rockwall?
A permanent pit up to 3 feet across, kept 10 feet from the house and from anything that burns, and inside the setbacks for your lot. A fire in a built pit or fireplace needs no burn permit from the fire department, as long as it is watched and water or an extinguisher is close. Behind the take line on Lake Ray Hubbard, a pit burns wood or charcoal only, with no buried gas.
Designing a pit to Rockwall's numbers
Rockwall wrote its own fire pit section into the residential code it adopted. Three numbers in it shape every design.
- A permanently installed fire pit may not be built within 10 feet of a structure or of combustible material. A wood fence or a cedar pergola counts as much as the house does. City of Rockwall Ordinance No. 23-24, adopted codes and amendments, Residential Code R1001.14
- The same section caps a fire pit at 3 feet across and makes it meet the setbacks the zoning code sets for a single-family house, so a pit cannot be tucked into a side yard or against the back fence. City of Rockwall Ordinance No. 23-24, adopted codes and amendments, Residential Code R1001.14
- Rockwall's amendments require every footing the residential code covers to be designed and sealed by a Texas engineer. We plan a sealed footing under any masonry fireplace before it is drawn. City of Rockwall Ordinance No. 23-24, adopted codes and amendments, Residential Code R401.2
- A gas line to a fire pit or fireplace is buried at least 18 inches. Rockwall deleted the code exception that lets a line to a single outdoor appliance run shallower. City of Rockwall Ordinance No. 23-24, adopted codes and amendments, Residential Code G2415.12 and G2415.12.1
- The fee schedule names no fire pit or fireplace line. Its Miscellaneous Permits line is $75, a gas line goes on the plumbing line at $100, and work started without a permit is charged double. We confirm the line with the city before quoting the fees. City of Rockwall Resolution No. 26-09, Schedule of Building Permits and Miscellaneous Fees, Items 1.g, 16 and 20
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Lighting it: when the fire department gets involved
- A fire burning inside a permanent outdoor fireplace or fire pit, a chiminea or a portable fire pit needs no Rockwall Fire Department permit. A fire anywhere else does, and the permit has to be on hand while it burns, or the department puts the fire out and may write a citation. City of Rockwall Fire Department, Outdoor Burning Information
- The no-permit fire still has rules: used as its maker intends, never loaded with more fuel than it was built for, watched until it is fully out, and never lit during a burn ban. City of Rockwall Fire Department, Outdoor Burning Information
- Leaves, yard waste, cardboard, treated lumber and old furniture all count as rubbish in the fire department's rules, and rubbish does not go in the pit. City of Rockwall Fire Department, Outdoor Burning Information
- A loose campfire on open ground is a recreational fire under the Fire Marshal's guidelines. It stays at least 25 feet from any structure and needs a permit with a site plan, and burning waits for a wind between 6 and 23 miles an hour. The same guidelines leave out fires contained in an outdoor fireplace or barbecue pit. City of Rockwall Fire Marshal Division, Bonfire and Other Recreational Fires (Campfires), Definitions; General Requirements 4 and 5; Submittal 9
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Fire on the lake side of the take line
Lots on Lake Ray Hubbard that lease the take area from the city fall under the Takeline Overlay in the UDC, and it has its own rules for a fire pit and a barbecue pit.
- A fire pit in the take area can only be built on a lot with a valid Residential Sublease Agreement from the city. A new sublease is $200. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (K)(9), p. 5-69
- The take area is split into three bands by elevation. A fire pit is allowed in the upper band, in the middle band only where a seawall runs the whole leased shoreline, and never in the lowest band, which is out in the lake. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (K)(9)(c), p. 5-69
- It burns charcoal and wood only. No natural gas or propane line may be buried to feed it. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (K)(9)(d), pp. 5-69 to 5-70
- The ring that holds the fire is natural stone, brick or concrete, no taller than 36 inches, between 3 by 3 feet and 5 by 5 feet, and at least 6 feet off the leased side line. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (K)(9)(e) and (f), p. 5-70
- A barbecue pit for cooking is allowed only in the upper band, burns charcoal or wood, is built of stone, brick, concrete or iron grating, and stands no more than 6 feet tall. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (K)(1), p. 5-61
- No structure in the take area may hold a fireplace. The overlay counts it as an amenity of a place to live, and nothing built there may be one. City of Rockwall Unified Development Code, rev. 07/22/2026, Article 05, Takeline Overlay, Subsection (D)(5), p. 5-57
Read from the city’s own documents on the dates linked. Codes and fees change and city staff interpret them, so we confirm for your address before we pull the permit.
Rockwall Questions
What people in Rockwall ask us
How big can a fire pit be in Rockwall?
Three feet across. The take area rules allow a ring up to 5 by 5 feet, but the city's residential code caps a permanent pit at 3 feet, so we design to 3 everywhere.
Do I need a burn permit to use my fire pit?
Not for a fire in a built pit or fireplace, as long as it is watched, kept to its normal fuel load and has a hose or extinguisher near it. During a burn ban it stays cold. A fire on open ground is the one that needs a permit.
Can a fire pit go under my patio cover?
No. A pit keeps 10 feet from any structure and from anything that burns. If you want fire under the roof, that is a masonry fireplace on its own sealed footing, and we design the two together.
Can I build an outdoor fireplace in Rockwall?
Yes, on a footing designed and sealed by a Texas engineer, as Rockwall's code amendments require. Behind the take line it is a different answer: no fireplace in any structure there, only a wood or charcoal fire pit or barbecue pit.
How long does a fire pit or fireplace take in Rockwall?
A fire pit runs about 1 to 2 weeks on site. A masonry fireplace runs about 3 to 6 weeks, since the engineered footing cures before the masonry starts. Take area work waits on the sublease first.
How do you price a fire pit in Rockwall?
After a walk of the yard. Pit or fireplace, gas or wood, the run from the gas meter, the footing and the stone move it. It is priced in writing, and the price does not move unless the scope does.
Keep reading
Get a written estimate in Rockwall
Tell us what you want built and roughly how big. We check the city and HOA rules for your address and price the scope in writing.
indicates a required field
Step 1 of 2: Project info