Running gas to a patio is straightforward work with an unforgiving margin for error. It is permitted, pressure-tested and inspected work in every jurisdiction we operate in, and it should never be done any other way.
AT A GLANCE
- Permit required
- Yes, always. Pulled by us.
- Typical install
- 1 to 2 days including inspection scheduling
- Pressure test
- Held and witnessed by the inspector before burial or close-up
- Sizing depends on
- Total BTU demand of every appliance on the system, not just the new one
Why this is permitted work
Gas piping is one of the few things in a house where a quiet mistake is genuinely dangerous rather than merely expensive. That is the reason it is permitted and inspected everywhere, and the reason a pressure test has to be held and witnessed before a trench is backfilled or a wall is closed.
None of that is an obstacle. It is a couple of days of scheduling and it is the difference between an installation that is documented and one that becomes somebody’s problem at closing when the buyer’s inspector finds unpermitted gas work.
Sizing for the whole system
The most common error in adding a gas appliance is treating it as an isolated job. It is not. Every appliance on the system draws from the same supply, and the pipe has to be sized so that all of them running at once still deliver adequate pressure at the furthest fixture.
So before we quote, we add up the total BTU demand of everything on the system, look at the length and diameter of the existing runs, and check what the meter can actually deliver. Occasionally the answer is that a section upstream needs upsizing, or that the utility needs to look at the meter. Better to know that at the quote stage.
Materials and burial
Runs that leave the building envelope have different requirements from runs inside it. Buried lines need the right material, the right depth for the jurisdiction, and — for plastic — a tracer wire so that the line can be found later with a locator. That last detail costs almost nothing during installation and is the thing that prevents somebody putting a shovel through your gas line in five years.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Load calculation across every gas appliance in the house, not just the new one
- Permit pulled and inspection scheduled by us
- Correct materials for buried and exposed runs, with tracer wire where required
- Shut-off valve at the appliance and at the point of connection
- Pressure test held for the inspector before anything is covered
- Restoration of trenching and landscape disturbance
COMMON QUESTIONS
Do I need a permit to run a gas line to my fire pit?
Yes, in every jurisdiction we work in. Gas piping is life-safety work and it is inspected for that reason. We pull the permit as part of the job and schedule the inspection. Any contractor willing to run gas without one is telling you something important about how they work.
Can you add a gas line if my house already has a lot of gas appliances?
That is exactly the question that has to be answered before quoting. Adding an appliance means recalculating the total demand of the whole system — furnace, water heater, range, dryer, fireplace and now the new one — against the size of the existing supply and meter. Sometimes the existing line has capacity. Sometimes a section has to be upsized. We do that calculation before giving you a number, not after.
Can I convert my propane grill to natural gas?
Usually, but only if the manufacturer makes a conversion kit for that specific model. The orifices are different sizes because the two fuels have different energy densities and pressures. Do not let anyone drill out an orifice by hand. If no factory kit exists, the honest answer is that the appliance should be replaced rather than modified.
How deep does a buried gas line have to be?
It depends on the jurisdiction and the material, which is one of the things the permit and inspection process exists to confirm. Buried lines also need the correct material rating and, for plastic, a tracer wire so the line can be located later. This matters the next time anyone digs in your yard.
Can you run gas to an outdoor kitchen with several appliances?
Yes. Multiple appliances just means the load calculation and the pipe sizing get more involved, and each appliance gets its own shut-off. Tell us everything that is going in, including anything you might add later, because sizing for the future costs very little now and a great deal afterwards.