Buying guide
Wood Burner Rules in Yorkshire and Lancashire (2026)
There is no ban on wood burners in England in 2026, and no new rules have come in this year. The rules that matter are older: in a smoke control area you can only burn wood in a Defra-exempt stove, wood sold in units under 2 m³ must be Ready to Burn, house coal can no longer be sold for homes, and a new stove needs a carbon monoxide alarm. York becomes a smoke control area across the whole city on 1 November 2026.
The Logs Local team Kiln-dried logs from our yard in Keighley
In this guide
Are wood burners being banned?
No. HETAS, updated in April 2026, says there is no ban on wood-burning stoves and no new rules have been announced. Defra ran a consultation on solid fuel burning from 22 January to 19 March 2026, and the House of Commons Library said on 30 June 2026 that no changes had yet been made. We found no government response as of 21 October 2026.
Which rules apply to me?
| Rule | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke control areas | No smoke from your chimney. Wood only in a Defra-exempt stove. Open fires must burn an authorised smokeless fuel. | GOV.UK |
| Penalties in a smoke control area | £175 to £300 civil penalty for smoke from a chimney. Up to £1,000 for buying unauthorised fuel for a stove that isn't exempt. | Environment Act 2021, GOV.UK |
| Ready to Burn | Wood sold in units under 2 m³ must be certified at 20% moisture or less, everywhere in England, since 1 May 2021. | GOV.UK |
| House coal | Traditional house coal can no longer be sold for use in homes in England. | GOV.UK |
| Smokeless fuel | Manufactured fuels must be certified, with under 2% sulphur and under 5 g of smoke an hour. | 2020 regulations |
| New stoves | Since 1 January 2022, new stoves sold in Great Britain must meet Ecodesign: closed stoves at least 65% efficient, with limits on particles. | Ecodesign regulation |
| Installing a stove | A carbon monoxide alarm is required with any new or replacement solid fuel appliance, and the work must be signed off. | Approved Document J |
| Nuisance | Smoke that is a nuisance to neighbours can bring an abatement notice anywhere in England, in a smoke control area or not. | Environmental Protection Act |
What are smoke control areas?
They are areas where councils have made orders under the Clean Air Act, covering many towns and cities in our delivery area. GOV.UK says you cannot release smoke from a chimney there, and that unauthorised fuels such as wood can only be burned in exempt appliances. Since 1 May 2022, smoke from a chimney there has been a civil penalty of £175 to £300 rather than a criminal offence, according to the government's enforcement guidance.
- Am I in a smoke control area? Council maps for our area
- Can you burn wood in a smoke control area?
- Defra exempt stoves explained
What's changing near us?
- York: the whole City of York Council area becomes a smoke control area on 1 November 2026, the council says. Wood can no longer be burned on open fires there.
- Wakefield: the council has consulted, with a closing date of 25 October 2026, on replacing its older orders with one order for the whole district. It would start no sooner than six months after approval.
- Kirklees, Barnsley and Manchester are already smoke control areas across their whole council areas.
What did Defra propose in 2026?
These were proposals in Defra's January 2026 consultation, not law:
- A smoke limit of 1 g an hour for new stoves sold in Great Britain, starting three to five years after new legislation.
- A to C emissions labels on new stoves.
- Higher fixed penalties for fuel suppliers who break the rules, up to £2,000.
- Stoves already installed would not be affected, and no ban was proposed.
An earlier plan, in 2023, to cut the limit for smoke control areas from 5 g to 3 g an hour was never brought into law, HETAS reported.
What do the rules mean for our logs?
Our logs are kiln dried below 20% moisture. In a smoke control area, you can only burn them in a Defra-exempt stove. On an open fire there, use an authorised smokeless fuel instead. Outside smoke control areas, you can burn them in any stove or open fire. See what is Ready to Burn? and is house coal banned?.
Questions
Is it illegal to have a wood burner?
No. Wood burners are legal everywhere in England. In a smoke control area, the stove must be Defra exempt to burn wood.
Will my existing stove have to be replaced?
No. Ecodesign covers newly made stoves, and Defra's 2026 proposals said stoves already installed would not be affected.
Can I still use an open fire?
Yes. Outside a smoke control area you can burn dry logs. Inside one, you can only burn an authorised smokeless fuel.
Do the rules cover fire pits and chimineas?
Not smoke control rules, unless the appliance has a chimney through a roof, as GOV.UK explains. Nuisance law still applies if the smoke bothers your neighbours.
More in our log burner safety checklist.
For the latest figures, see UK wood burner statistics 2026, and for this winter's changes, wood burner rules for winter 2026/27.
Logs for this guide
Kiln dried below 20% moisture and ready to burn. Add a bag to your cart, then check out as normal.
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Free delivery within 40 miles of our yard
On orders over £75, on weekdays, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Or collect from Farrahs Saw Mill in Keighley.
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