Can I still use my gas fire pit or outdoor gas fireplace during a county burn ban?
Yes, nearly always — out in Leicester a propane fire pit or outdoor gas fireplace keeps running during a burn ban, because Buncombe County and the NC Forest Service restrict open burning of brush and wood, not a gas appliance you shut off at the valve. No embers, no sparks. Confirm the county's exact wording before dry, windy days.
Propane and wood country
Leicester is spread out — big rural properties, many of them running off propane rather than a gas main, with wood heat a genuine favorite and some remote homes working with limited electrical capacity. An outdoor propane fire pit fits that off-the-main life: it feeds from the same tank as the house, needs no wall outlet, and doesn't lean on the grid. It also holds up during a burn ban, because a propane flame throws no windblown embers and dies the instant you close the valve — normally exempt from the open-burning bans the NC Forest Service and Buncombe County issue.
Cold nights, and the Buncombe check
Cold-air drainage runs Leicester's rural valleys five to eight degrees colder than Asheville on clear winter nights, which stretches the cool-evening season long — good reason for a fire feature you can actually use. Just keep an eye on the tank, and remember that a hard drought or red-flag wind day can bring a stricter Buncombe County ban covering all outdoor flame. Confirm the exact wording with the county fire marshal before you light during an active ban.
Wood is the one that's grounded
Wood heat runs deep out here, and there's nothing wrong with it — but an open wood fire pit outdoors is open burning by definition, embers and sparks included, so a ban shuts it down every time. Your propane feature is what keeps the patio going when it does. Running that outdoor propane line is licensed work in North Carolina — we permit and pressure-test it, about 15 minutes from our Asheville showroom. Planning an [outdoor gas fire pit](/services/gas-fire-pit-installation)? Call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.