Thankfully it seems that not all communities have taken such a tough approach to outdoor fireplaces. My local city engineer/building inspector said that so long as it is not attached to the house an outdoor fireplace is not regulated. The fire department does require that the structure be UL listed or meet local building codes. There are a couple terrific resources on line from companies in the fireplace business. Check out the following for designs and ideas:
www.superiorclay.com
www.isokern.net
www.firerock.us
We have seen a nice increase in demand of firebrick splits as a result of growing interest in outdoor fireplaces.