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Woodsmoke
Learn about the Air District's woodsmoke rule amendment process, which aims to further mitigate exposure to woodsmoke pollution in the Bay Area.
Find out about the status of the rule development process, workshops, hearings, and other events below.
Air District staff are initiating efforts to propose amendments to two rules: Regulation 5: Open Burning and Regulation 6: Particulate Matter, Rule 3: Woodburning Devices.
The Air District will hold two virtual workshops on amendments to woodsmoke rules. A workshop on amendments to Regulation 5: Open Burning will be conducted virtually on June 2, 2025. A workshop on amendments to Regulation 6: Particulate Matter, Rule 3: Woodburning Devices will be conducted virtually on June 3, 2025.
Background
Air District staff consider woodsmoke as an important source to evaluate as it represents over 10 percent of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in the region on an annual basis with an even greater impact during the winter. The Air District has also committed to explore woodsmoke mitigation options through concerns identified in Assembly Bill (AB) 617 communities: West Oakland Community Action Plan (WOCAP) Further Study Measure #5 and Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo Path to Clean Air (PTCA) Public Health Action (H) 2.5.
In 2024, the Air District released a White Paper detailing our current understanding of woodsmoke emissions in the Bay Area:
The White Paper provides extensive information on wood burning in the Bay Area, the current state of the regulatory landscape for wood-burning devices, and a discussion of potential recommendations to further minimize woodsmoke emissions and exposures. Given the significance of the source and the known health impacts, staff recommended developing policies to further minimize woodsmoke emissions and exposures, focused on wood burning for the purposes of ambiance or aesthetics (not as a primary source of heat). This included consideration of the following potential amendments to Regulation 6, Rule 3: Wood-Burning Devices:
- Strengthening the Air District’s burn curtailment (i.e. periodic wood burning ban) program; and
- Accelerating the disabling and turnover of dirtier wood-burning devices.
The White Paper was open for comments for 75 days and closed on January 20, 2025. All comments received during this period were taken into consideration for the currently planned rule amendments.
Planned Amendments
Air District staff are currently planning amendments to:
- Regulation 5: Open Burning
Amendments to Regulation 5 would expand fee exemptions for all prescribed burns for wildfire prevention. - Regulation 6: Particulate Matter, Rule 3: Woodburning Devices (Rule 6-3)
Amendments to Rule 6-3 would lower the Mandatory Burn Ban threshold from 35 to 25 μg/m3 for forecasted ambient 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations.
The goals of these amendments are to avoid unhealthy exposure to smoke by reducing wildfire risk and reducing woodsmoke-related air pollution in the Bay Area.
Virtual Workshops
The Air District will host two virtual public workshops to provide the public with an opportunity to learn about, discuss, and comment on the planned amendments to Regulation 5 and Rule 6-3.
- The Regulation 5 (open burning) workshop will be conducted virtually via webcast on June 2, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
- The Rule 6-3 (woodburning devices) workshop will be conducted virtually via webcast on June 3, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
A web link to join the workshop will be available here prior to the workshop.
Next Steps
Next steps in this woodsmoke policy initiative will be to incorporate the community and stakeholder comments received during the public workshops into a draft rule amendment. All comments received will also be considered in future rule development activities and other Air District efforts. Staff intend to propose rule amendments to the Air District Board of Directors in time for implementation before the 2025 burn season (late 2025).
To receive information on updates and events associated with further woodsmoke rule development activities, please sign up for the Air District's Woodsmoke and Woodburning Appliances Rules and Regulations Email List at the bottom of this page.
Hearings, Workshops and Other Events
Throughout the rule development process, we provide information on upcoming and past workshops, hearings, and other events.
Documents
Supporting materials, such as staff reports, regulatory language, and other technical documents related to rule development, are posted throughout the development process.
Comments
The Air District provides opportunities for the public to submit comments throughout the development process, and posts comments received during the open public comment periods.
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Last Updated: 15/05/2025