Don’t Get Burned!

Be Aware of County and Air District Prohibitions Before Buying or Selling a Used Wood Burning Appliance

Sonoma County Air Districts’ regulations and Building Code prohibit the installation and/or sale/resale of non-EPA certified wood heating appliances such as wood stoves. There are potential civil, administrative, or criminal penalties for non-compliance.

Prohibitory Rules

Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District

NSCAPCD Rule 4-1-400: No person shall sell, offer for sale, supply, install, or transfer ownership of a wood fired appliance unless it is District or EPA approved.  Open hearth wood burning fireplaces are not permitted in new building construction.  District approved appliances emit less than or equal to 7.5 grams of particulate per hour for a non catalytic wood fired appliance or 4.1 grams per hour for a catalytic wood fired appliance.

 

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

BAAQMD Rule 6-3-303: No person shall advertise, sell, offer for sale or resale, supply, install or transfer a new or used wood-burning device unless it meets or exceeds the requirements of 40 CFR, Part 60, Subpart AAA.  This rule provides that no wood-burning device is permitted in new building construction.

Sonoma County Building Code

The County of Sonoma (“Permit Sonoma”) mirrors the NoSoCo Air rules in Sonoma County Residential Construction, Section 16.11: All wood-fired appliances, new or used, are subject to the emission standards set forth in Regulation 4 of the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District and/or EPA-certified.  Air District rules apply plus any other applicable requirements of the city/town.

Certified Appliances Clean the Air!

EPA-certified wood-burning appliances are designed to be much more efficient than older models, significantly reducing the amount of smoke and harmful pollutants released into the atmosphere.

When funding is available, NoSoCo Air offers wood appliance replacement incentives to qualifying applicants with additional assistance to low income and Guerneville area residents.  Replace a non-EPA certified appliance with a certified wood, pellet, propane/natural gas, or electric heat pump.  Restrictions apply, check our Incentives page.