Q. Why did the Air District pass the wood-burning rule?
A. The Air District passed the wood-burning rule to limit harmful health impacts from fine particulate matter a dangerous pollutant that can easily bypass filters in your nose and throat and penetrate deep into your lungs On cold, still winter days and nights, wood smoke is the single largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area. This pollution can cause serious
health effects, particularly to children, older adults and those suffering from respiratory illnesses.
On winter days, about one-third of the particulate pollution comes from wood smoke.
Q. Can we burn manufactured logs during a Winter Spare the Air Alert? A. No. The rule prohibits burning any solid fuel, including pellets and manufactured logs.
Q. How do you determine violations of the wood-burning rule? A. Air District inspectors do a visual inspection of a home or business that is suspected to be burning during a Winter Spare the Air Alert . If they are found to be burning, inspectors document the violation and send the information to headquarters for verification. After the violation is verified, a warning letter with information about the rule is sent to first-time offenders. Second violations are subject to a $400 ticket. Subsequent violations of the rule will result in higher penalties, depending on the severity of the infraction.
Q. Do inspectors knock on doors of violators?
A. No, air quality inspectors do not knock on doors of those found to be burning during a Winter Spare the Air Alert.
Q. How many air quality inspectors do you have? A. The Air District has 70 inspectors throughout the Bay Area.
Q. If I have no other source of heat, can I burn? Are there exemptions available? A. If a wood-burning stove or fireplace is your sole source of heat and there is no other permanently installed heating system (e.g. gas, electric or propane) in your home or business, there is an exemption available. Call 877-4-NO BURN (877-466-2876) for more information or visit the
wood burning compliance page.
Q. What triggers the Air District to call a Winter Spare the Air Alert? A. From November through February, the Air District issues a Winter Spare the Air Alert when air quality is anticipated to reach unhealthy levels and exceed the federal 24-hour average standard for PM2.5, which is 35 micrograms per cubic meter and corresponds to 100 on the AQI scale.
Q. How can the public check if there’s a Winter Spare the Air Alert in effect? A. Visit www.baaqmd.gov or sparetheair.org to see if an alert has been issued. You may also call 1-877-4NO-BURN (1-877-466-2876) to check the Winter Spare the Air Alert status and to report wood smoke complaints.
Sign up to receive automatic
phone alerts by calling 1-800-430-1515. Residents can also sign up for
EnviroFlash AirAlerts to receive e-mail notification when Winter Spare the Air Alerts are called.
Q. I did not receive my phone/email alert. What should I do? A. Make sure you clicked the appropriate link on your confirmation e-mail from Enviroflash when you signed up. Check your SPAM/ junk mail folder and add enviroflash@sonomatech.com and sparetheair@baaqmd.gov to your safe sender’s list. If you still do not receive the email alerts, email us at sparetheair@baaqmd.gov.
If you’re not receiving your phone alerts, email us at sparetheair@baaqmd.gov so that we can check our records.
Q. How many Winter Spare the Air Alerts do you expect this winter? A. On average, there are 15-20 Winter Spare the Air Alerts each winter.