# Portable Outdoor Fireplace: Building Code Definition > How the IFC 2009 define portable outdoor fireplace, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/portable-outdoor-fireplace/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IFC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IFC 2009 General Requirements (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 2 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Portable outdoor fireplace is a defined term in the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009, in General Requirements. The code's own words are: “A portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay or other noncombustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace may be open in design, or may be equipped with a small hearth opening and a short chimney or chimney opening in the top.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IFC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 2 chapters of this corpus, most often in General Requirements (IFC 2009), Definitions (IFC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. *Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Portable Outdoor Fireplace** — IFC 2009, General Requirements: > A portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay or other noncombustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace may be open in design, or may be equipped with a small hearth opening and a short chimney or chimney opening in the top. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Portable Outdoor Fireplace: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/portable-outdoor-fireplace/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IFC 2009 define portable outdoor fireplace, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Portable Outdoor Fireplace** is defined once in this corpus, in the [General Requirements](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/general-requirements.md) chapter of the International Fire Code (IFC) 2009: > A portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay or other noncombustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace may be open in design, or may be equipped with a small hearth opening and a short chimney or chimney opening in the top. ## Where portable outdoor fireplace is used in the code The term appears in 2 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [General Requirements](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/general-requirements.md) | IFC 2009 | 13 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/definitions.md) | IFC 2009 | 1 | ## The terms portable outdoor fireplace is built out of The definition above leans on 5 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what portable outdoor fireplace covers: - **[Noncombustible Material](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/noncombustible-material.md)** — IRC 2009: Materials that pass the test procedure for defining noncombustibility of elementary materials set forth in ASTM E 136. - **[Fireplace](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/fireplace.md)** — IBC 2009: A hearth and fire chamber or similar prepared place in which a fire may be made and which is built in conjunction with a chimney. - **[Chimney](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/chimney.md)** — IBC 2009: A primarily vertical enclosure containing one or more passageways for conveying flue gases to the outside atmosphere. - **[Solid](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/solid.md)** — IBC 2009: A material that has a melting point, decomposes or sublimes at a temperature greater than 68°F (20°C). - **[Steel](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/steel.md)** — IFC 2009: Hot-or cold-rolled as defined by the International Building Code. ## Portable Outdoor Fireplace: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IFC | General Requirements | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | General Requirements (IFC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IFC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Noncombustible Material | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Fireplace | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Chimney | | | Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | | **A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply. ## Where can you explore related guidance? - [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Noncombustible Material: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/noncombustible-material.md) - [Fireplace: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/fireplace.md) - [Chimney: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/chimney.md) - [Steel: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/steel.md) ## Sources and method Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of portable outdoor fireplace? The International Fire Code (IFC) 2009 defines it in General Requirements as: “A portable, outdoor, solid-fuel-burning fireplace that may be constructed of steel, concrete, clay or other noncombustible material. A portable outdoor fireplace may be open in design, or may be equipped with a small hearth opening and a short chimney or chimney opening in the top.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally. ### Which parts of the code depend on portable outdoor fireplace? In this corpus the term is used across 2 chapters, led by General Requirements in the IFC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fportable-outdoor-fireplace%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/portable-outdoor-fireplace/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt