Wood Burning Fireplaces

New Regulations for Wood Burning Fireplaces and Stoves

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”— The Christmas Song.

Wood Burning Fireplaces

Ah, the joys of sitting in front of a wood burning fireplace!  Enjoy it while you can: new Metro Vancouver bylaws will end this joyous winter pastime by 2025.

The timeline of restrictions:

2009

Metro Vancouver enacts a bylaw prohibiting the installation of new wood burning fireplaces in new homes in an effort to improve air quality by reducing fine particulate pollution. The bylaw did not apply to existing homes, however.

2019

The burning of wood for heating or cooking is banned in Metro Vancouver during the warmer months, from May 15 to September 15.

September  2022

All wood burning fireplaces or appliances must be registered with Metro Vancouver. Registration will only be accepted for fireplaces which meet performance standards, as outlined here: Metro Vancouver Bylaw . Open fires will not meet those standards.

September 2025

Unregistered fireplaces and appliances will not be permitted to operate, except during emergencies, or if the appliance is operated within a low-income household.

The Christmas Song will be sung with the new officially approved lyrics: ‘Chestnuts being warmed by a high performance, non-polluting insert…’
I get it: pollution is a serious issue, causing health issues, climate change, etc. But I will still shed a nostalgic tear for the open fire.

Affected Area

The restrictions described in this article are in effect in the Urban Containment Area:

Wood Burning Fireplace

Alternative methods for replacing wood burning fireplaces or stoves will be required by 2025, such as electricity and renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar power or heat pumps.

There are several incentive Provincial programs available:

Wood Stove Exchange Program: encourage people to change the wood stoves with heat pumps, pellet stoves. To find more details and how to qualify check Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program.

BC Hydro and Fortis BC rebates: You can get rebates for making smart energy choices for windows & doors, insulation, space heating, water heating, heat pump & more. Learn all the details on BC Hydro site.

Check our other blogs under Real Estate 101 – that might give you answers about buying or selling a home.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.