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Learn how the Air District is reducing wood smoke pollution in the Bay Area through restrictions on wood burning, and find out how you can help at home.

Frequently Asked Questions - Spare the Air and Wood Smoke

Spare the Air Alert in effect. Wood burning is banned. Burn bans can occur year-round for wildfires. Smoke from wildfires throughout the Bay Area is impacting air quality.  

The Air District is issuing the winter season’s first Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The Air District is issuing the winter season’s third Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Tuesday, December 22, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Smoke from increased wood burning is expected to cause air quality to be unhealthy with the heaviest impacts in the Santa Clara Valley due to cold overnight temperatures and light winds.

The Air District is extending the Spare the Air Alert through Sunday, December 17, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Smoke from wood burning combined with light winds and low overnight temperatures is expected to continue causing air quality to be unhealthy in the Bay Area. A high-pressure system in place over Northern California will act like a lid, trapping smoke at ground level, and offshore winds are forecast to transport air pollution from the Central Valley into the Bay Area.

The Air District is issuing the winter season’s first Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Friday, December 15, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Smoke from increased wood burning combined with light winds and low overnight temperatures is expected to cause unhealthy air quality. High pressure over northern California will act like a lid, trapping smoke at ground level. Offshore winds may also transport air pollution from the Central Valley into the Bay Area. 

The Air District is seeking to adopt regulatory amendments to Regulation 6, Rule 3 to further reduce fine particulate emissions from wood burning. Written comments on the proposed rule amendments must be received by 9:00 am on Monday, October 19, 2015. A public hearing to adopt these proposed amendments is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2015.

The Air District is issuing the winter season’s first Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Friday, November 25, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The Air District is extending the Spare the Air Alert through Monday, December 26, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Cold overnight temperatures, stagnant air, patchy dense fog, and a high-pressure system over the region is allowing wood smoke pollution to continue to build up over the region. Concurrently, offshore winds transporting additional pollution from the Central Valley is continuing to cause unhealthy air quality in the Bay Area. 

The Air District is extending the Spare the Air Alert through Tuesday, December 20, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The Air District is issuing a Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Monday, December 19, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The Air District is issuing a Spare the Air Alert for tomorrow, Tuesday, December 26, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Although gathering around a fireplace may be a Christmas tradition for many, there are serious health impacts associated with wood burning. Use of all wood-burning devices is prohibited.

The Area Air District is issuing the season’s first and second Winter Spare the Air Alerts for today, Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The Air District is issuing a Spare the Air Alert for Thursday, December 22, through Christmas Day, December 25, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors.

The program will open at 10AM on August 26, 2016, on a first-come, first-served basis for homeowners and landlords to replace their wood burning device. Funding will be prioritized for low-income residents, residents located in areas highly affected by wood smoke, and households exempt from burn bans due to a wood-burning device being the sole source of heat. Starting November 1, 2016, anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled device that is registered with the Air District to qualify for an exemption.

The Air District is extending the Spare the Air Alert that is in place today, Saturday, August 28, through tomorrow, Sunday, August 29, due to wildfire smoke. The burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors is prohibited.

Report unhealthful odors, dust, chemical pollutants, wood smoke, exhaust, or smoking vehicles.

Learn all about air quality in the Bay Area, including air quality and weather forecasts, open burn and spare the air status, wood smoke pollution, and more.

The Air District is extending a Spare the Air Alert for wildfire smoke through Friday, August 28, which bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Wildfire smoke from numerous fires inside and outside of the Bay Area is continuing to cause elevated levels of smoke pollution.