Winter wood-burning bans are back, and they will be called more often
From November through February, burning wood is illegal on Spare the Air days. A tighter rule means more alert days than in past winters.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the regional agency that regulates air pollution in the nine Bay Area counties, calls winter Spare the Air Alerts from November through February when it expects fine-particle pollution to build up. On an alert day it is illegal to burn wood, manufactured fire logs or pellets in a fireplace, wood stove, pellet stove or outdoor fire pit. Gas, propane and electric heaters are allowed.
There will likely be more of those days than longtime residents are used to. In October 2025 the district's board lowered the pollution forecast that triggers an alert, from 35 to 25 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter of air. The district estimates that means 19 to 41 alerts a year, compared with a historic average of 15.
Why it matters for health: The district says wood smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and is loaded with fine particles small enough to lodge deep in the lungs. It links wood smoke exposure to respiratory illness and a higher risk of heart attacks, and says it is especially hard on children, older adults and people with lung conditions. The agency's own computer modeling, not a clinical study, attributes 94 to 210 premature deaths a year in the Bay Area to fine particles from home wood burning. People with asthma, heart disease or other conditions should ask their doctor how to protect themselves on smoky days.
The rules have limits. Homes whose only heat is a wood stove or fireplace can get an exemption, but only if the device is EPA-certified and registered with the district. Inspectors who confirm a violation mail a ticket with a fine; first-time violators can have it waived by taking an online wood smoke class.
To check before lighting a fire, text START to 817-57 for alerts, call 1-877-4NO-BURN (466-2876) or visit sparetheair.org. The same number takes complaints about neighbors' smoke.
Source: Bay Area Air Quality Management District wood-burning rule announcement and winter wood smoke FAQ; Spare the Air alerts page, checked Nov. 2, 2026.