Don’t Get Burned by a Used Woodstove!

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.

Summary of Rules

Visit the links for full detail.

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. Any person violating any provisions of these rules and regulation is guilty of a misdemeanor and/or is liable for a civil penalty and shall be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both as allowed by Health and Safety Code Division 26, Part 4, Chapter 4, Article 3. Every day during any portion of which the violation occurs constitutes a separate offense.

  • Open hearth wood burning fireplaces are not permitted in new building construction.
  • District approved:  Emit less than or equal to 7.5 grams 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.

  • No wood-burning device is permitted in new building construction.

Building Code

  • County of Sonoma (PRMD / “Permit Sonoma”):  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.
  • Incorporated Areas:  Air District rules apply plus any other applicable requirements of the city/town.

Incentive Funding

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 Burn Clean! program on our incentives page.

Certified Appliances Clean the Air!