Portable Outdoor Fireplace: Building Code Definition

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, 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.

What must be verified before using this guidance?

Portable Outdoor Fireplace is defined once in this corpus, in the General Requirements 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.

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 — IRC 2009: Materials that pass the test procedure for defining noncombustibility of elementary materials set forth in ASTM E 136.
• Fireplace — 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 — IBC 2009: A primarily vertical enclosure containing one or more passageways for conveying flue gases to the outside atmosphere.
• Solid — IBC 2009: A material that has a melting point, decomposes or sublimes at a temperature greater than 68°F (20°C).
• Steel — 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 and the ICC adoption maps cover the middle rows.

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
• Noncombustible Material: Building Code Definition
• Fireplace: Building Code Definition
• Chimney: Building Code Definition
• Steel: Building Code Definition

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 publishes the current model text and the ICC adoption maps show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control.

Source links

• codes.iccsafe.org

• iccsafe.org