On a Long Island patio, the choice between an outdoor fireplace and a fire pit shapes the whole evening: where people sit, which way the heat travels, what the wind does with the smoke, and how the space reads from the kitchen window. They are not interchangeable, and the right answer usually comes from the yard itself rather than the catalog.
We design and install both across Nassau, Suffolk and the Hamptons. This is the comparison we walk through before anyone picks a model.
The short answer
Choose an outdoor fireplace when you want a focal point, heat aimed at one seating area, smoke carried up a chimney (or no smoke at all on gas), and a built element that anchors an outdoor kitchen or covered patio. Choose a fire pit when you want people gathered in a circle, a smaller budget, and a feature you can place in the open yard. On most Long Island lots, gas is the easier fuel for either one, because wood fires are regulated town by town and smoke drifts toward neighbors.
Key takeaways
- A fireplace faces one direction and organizes seating like a living room. A fire pit puts everyone in a ring, facing each other.
- A fireplace reflects heat forward toward the people in front of it. A fire pit radiates in every direction, and much of the heat rises.
- Wind is the fire pit's weakness. A fireplace's firebox and chimney shelter the flame and carry smoke away.
- Wood fires are governed by your town: 25 feet from structures is common in Islip, Brookhaven and Southampton, and Huntington goes further.
In this guide
- Outdoor fireplace vs fire pit at a glance
- How do they change the way people gather?
- Which one keeps you warmer?
- How do wind and smoke behave?
- How much space does each need?
- Wood, natural gas or propane?
- Rules in Nassau, Suffolk and the Hamptons
- What does each cost, in relative terms?
- How does each work with an outdoor kitchen?
- Our recommended models
- Which should you choose?
- Frequently asked questions
Outdoor fireplace vs fire pit at a glance
| Factor | Outdoor fireplace | Fire pit or fire table |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | Sofa and chairs facing one wall | Chairs in a full circle |
| Heat | Directed forward | All directions, much of it rising |
| Wind and smoke | Sheltered flame; wood smoke goes up a chimney | Exposed flame; wood smoke follows the breeze |
| Footprint | Narrow, along an edge of the patio | A round zone in the middle of the space |
| Fuel | Wood, natural gas or propane | Wood, natural gas or propane |
| Project scope | Framing, stone or stucco finish, gas or chimney | Often arrives finished; gas line if not propane |
| Best for | Covered patios, outdoor rooms, kitchens | Open lawns, pool decks, conversation |
How do they change the way people gather?
We ask this first, because it decides more than any spec sheet. An outdoor fireplace behaves like the hearth in a living room. Furniture faces it, and the fire becomes the backdrop for the evening. It suits a deep sofa, lounge chairs and a coffee table.
A fire pit does the opposite. Everyone faces the flame and, across it, each other. It is the more casual format, made for long conversations and the children's marshmallows. A dining height fire table goes one step further and puts the flame in the middle of the meal.
Which one keeps you warmer?
Per BTU, a fireplace usually feels warmer to the people in front of it. The firebox walls reflect radiant heat forward, so most of the warmth goes where the seating is. Napoleon rates the Riverside 42 at up to 60,000 BTU through a 42 by 33 inch viewing area, and you feel it across the coffee table.
A fire pit sends heat in every direction, and a good share rises straight up. Gas fire tables make up for it with larger burners: Warming Trends rates the CROSSFIRE burner in its 60 by 34 inch AON table at 230,000 BTU. Everyone in the ring is warm in front, but your back stays in the evening air. In October that is part of the charm; in December it is why people move to the fireplace.
How do wind and smoke behave?
Long Island is breezy, especially on the South Shore and out east, and an open flame in the middle of the yard is at the mercy of that wind. Warming Trends' AON manual lists severe wind as a cause of burner trouble. With wood, the smoke follows the breeze, and the guest downwind keeps changing seats.
A fireplace shelters its flame inside a firebox. With wood, the chimney draws smoke up and away from the seating, which is why many families who love a wood fire choose a fireplace over a pit. Gas units add their own wind protection: Superior ships its VRE4600 linear fireplaces with glass windshields, and its manual requires them in place during operation.
If you want wood in a fire pit, a smokeless design changes the picture. The Napoleon Timberwolf uses what Napoleon calls a dual layer burn zone for less smoke and quicker starts. It is still a wood fire under your town's rules.
From our install team
Before we place anything, we ask which way the evening wind crosses the patio. A fire pit on an open lawn near the water often needs a wind guard or a sheltered corner. A fireplace can be set with its back to the breeze, so the structure becomes the windbreak.
How much space does each need?
A fireplace lives on an edge. It backs up to a wall, the end of a pergola or the side of a pool house, and the seating fills the space in front. The Riverside 42 needs a framed chase at least 49 inches wide and about 19 and a half inches deep, so the fireplace takes little patio area. What it does take is height and mass.
A fire pit claims the middle of the space: the table, a ring of chairs and a walkway behind them, plus manufacturer clearances. The Warming Trends AON manual calls for 36 inches from the sides to any combustible material and 72 inches overhead, and it rules out enclosed areas and sealed overhead structures. On a narrow patio, a fireplace often fits where a fire pit circle never would.
Wood, natural gas or propane?
- Wood gives the crackle, the scent and the most traditional experience. It also brings ash, firewood storage, sparks and smoke, and it is the fuel your town regulates most closely. A wood fireplace such as the Majestic Villawood 42 needs a chimney.
- Natural gas is the easiest to live with: a switch or a key, no tank, no ash, and a clean shutoff at the end of the night. It needs a gas line run and permitted by a licensed plumber.
- Propane suits a yard without gas service or a fire table placed far from the house. Some tables hide the tank: the American Fyre Designs Cosmopolitan Square dining table accepts a 5 gallon tank inside its base. Others, including the AON, connect to a separate tank by hose.
Our gas fire pit buying guide covers burners, ignition and media in more depth.
Building new? New York's All-Electric Buildings Act restricts fossil-fuel equipment in new buildings, though as of October 2026 the state has agreed not to enforce it while the court challenge concludes. It does not name fireplaces or patio appliances, so ask your building department before running new gas piping. See our note on the gas ban and gas fireplaces on Long Island.
What are the rules in Nassau, Suffolk and the Hamptons?
Wood fires are regulated by town, and sometimes by incorporated village. New York State's open burning rule allows small recreational fires of clean, untreated wood or charcoal, and the towns add their own limits. From the codes and fire prevention notices we reviewed:
- Islip, Brookhaven and Southampton use 25 feet from any structure or combustible material for recreational fires.
- Huntington requires 50 feet from a property line or structure for an uncontained fire, or 25 feet in a pit or container.
- North Hempstead requires 25 feet from buildings and 10 feet from the property line, in a metal container.
- Southampton, which covers much of the Hamptons, limits the fuel area to 3 feet across and 2 feet high in a noncombustible container, and bonfires need a permit.
- Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Babylon and Smithtown: we could not verify the current official text, so check with the town fire marshal.
Our town by town fire pit rules for Nassau and Suffolk has the full table and sources. On a quarter acre lot, a 25 foot ring around the house leaves little room for a wood pit, one reason so many clients choose gas.
A built wood fireplace is a structure with a chimney, so expect to involve your building department as well. None of the town codes we read names gas fire tables or gas fireplaces, so ask your fire marshal whether the setbacks apply to a listed gas appliance, and follow the manufacturer's clearances either way.
From our install team
Near the water, from the North Shore harbors to the bays out east, salt air is hard on steel. We favor stainless or concrete bodies there and a fitted cover for the off season, whichever format you choose.
What does each cost, in relative terms?
The project around the product drives the total, so we describe tiers rather than prices, from simplest to most involved:
- A portable wood fire pit. No installation.
- A finished gas fire table or fire bowl. Plus a gas line or a propane tank.
- A built-in gas fire pit with a burner kit in a stone or paver surround.
- A prefabricated outdoor fireplace framed into a chase, finished in stone or stucco, with gas or a chimney.
- A custom masonry fireplace designed as architecture.
For the same finish level, a fire pit almost always costs less, because there is less to build around it.
Not sure what fits your space? Send us photos of the patio and a rough survey, and we will show you where a fireplace or a fire pit circle can realistically sit. Book a free design consultation and we will help you narrow it down.
How does each work with an outdoor kitchen?
This is where the fireplace often wins. A fireplace can share a wall, a stone finish and a gas line with an outdoor kitchen, and the two read as one outdoor room. A linear unit such as the Superior VRE4648 sits low in a wall and lines up with countertops and a TV niche. Superior rates it at 43,500 BTU on natural gas.
"Vent-free" here means an outdoor decorative appliance certified to ANSI Z21.97, not an indoor ventless fireplace; it must never be installed indoors or in an enclosed space.
A fire pit works best as a separate destination a few steps from the kitchen, on a lower terrace or beside the pool, so the cook keeps a working zone. Plan the gas line for the whole patio at once, since a grill, side burner and fireplace or fire table add up quickly. For the full picture of fireplace types, see our outdoor fireplace buying guide.
From our install team
When a client wants both, we usually put the fireplace with the kitchen and the lounge, and a fire table on the lawn or pool deck. Running the gas and electrical in one trench while the patio is open is far easier than coming back later.
Our recommended models
We chose these six for Long Island patios: three fireplaces and three fire features for the circle, with specifications taken from the manufacturers.
Outdoor Fireplaces Outdoor Wood Fireplaces Outdoor Linear Fireplaces Gas Fire Pit Tables Fire Bowls American Fyre Designs Warming Trends
Which should you choose?
Choose an outdoor fireplace if:
- You want a focal point with lounge seating facing it.
- The patio is narrow, covered, or exposed to a steady breeze.
- You are building an outdoor kitchen and want one composed outdoor room.
- You love wood fires but want the smoke carried up a chimney.
Choose a fire pit or fire table if:
- You want guests gathered in a circle, facing each other.
- You have open space on a lawn, terrace or pool deck.
- You want a smaller project that can arrive finished.
- You would like a dining height table with the flame at its center.
For a covered patio or a new outdoor kitchen, we recommend a gas fireplace. It is the better heater, it handles the wind, and it gives the space a permanent anchor. For an open yard or pool deck where conversation is the point, choose a gas fire table. For a real wood fire, confirm your town's setbacks first; a fireplace with a chimney is usually easier on the neighbors than an open pit.
Frequently asked questions
Is an outdoor fireplace or a fire pit better for heat?
A fireplace usually feels warmer to the people in front of it, because the firebox reflects heat forward toward the seating. A fire pit radiates in every direction and much of its heat rises, so everyone in the ring is warm in front but cool behind.
Do I need a permit for an outdoor fireplace on Long Island?
A built fireplace is a structure, and a wood unit has a chimney, so expect to involve your town building department. Gas piping also needs a licensed plumber and the permit your town requires. Confirm with your town and, if you live in one, your incorporated village.
How far does a wood fire pit need to be from the house on Long Island?
Islip, Brookhaven and Southampton use 25 feet from any structure or combustible material. Huntington requires 25 feet for a fire in a pit or container and 50 feet for an uncontained fire. Check your own town before you build.
Are gas fire pits exempt from town fire rules?
The town codes we reviewed do not address gas fire tables by name, so we never assume they are exempt. Follow the manufacturer's clearances in the installation manual and ask your fire marshal whether the recreational fire setbacks apply at your address.
Can I put an outdoor fireplace and a fire pit on the same patio?
Yes, and it often makes the best layout: the fireplace with the kitchen and lounge, a fire table on the lawn or pool deck. Plan the gas line for every appliance at once.
Talk to a specialist
Plan the fire feature your patio was made for
We have been designing, selling, installing and servicing fire features and outdoor kitchens for over 30 years across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and South Florida. Bring a photo of your yard and we will help you decide between a fireplace, a fire table, or both.
Book a free consultation Call 718-326-4328Showroom: 58-30 Maspeth Ave, Maspeth, Queens. Our Greenvale, Long Island showroom at 13 Glen Cove Road opens winter 2026. Plan your visit.
Related guides
Browse all buying guides and expert advice →
Written by the NYC Fireplaces & Outdoor Kitchens team. Last reviewed October 2026. We sell, install and service the products discussed here.
Sources: Napoleon Riverside 42, Napoleon Timberwolf, Majestic Villawood, Superior VRE4600 installation manual, American Fyre Designs 2026 catalog, Warming Trends AON manual, NYS DEC open burning, Town of Brookhaven fire prevention advisory, Town of Southampton recreational fires, NY Energy Law 11-104, Mulhern Gas Co. v. Mosley docket. Specifications change; always confirm with the manufacturer's current installation manual.