During cooler months, residents are required to refrain from indoor and outdoor wood burning on days when poor air quality is forecast, as part of the “Check Before You Burn” campaign. 

Check Before You Burn educates residents about the hazards of wood smoke and prohibited from burning in a fireplace, stove, or outdoor fire pit for 24 hours on No-Burn Days. 

South Coast AQMD issues “No-burn Alerts” when unhealthy air quality is predicted, restricting residential wood-burning in fireplaces, backyard fire pits, and wood stoves for 24 hours. 

Short-term exposure to PM2.5 can cause throat and eye irritation, aggravate asthma, and trigger other respiratory or cardiovascular health problems. Prolonged exposure to high levels of PM2.5 may increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks and cancers. Young children, older adults, people with lung or heart diseases, people who are pregnant, and those who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially vulnerable to the health effects of PM2.5. Burning wood contributes to poor indoor air quality and air quality in surrounding neighborhoods. 

There are multiple ways to Check Before You Burn: 

E-Mail Notifications: Sign up to receive Air Alerts on air quality and be notified when a mandatory No- Burn Day has been issued for your neighborhood. 

Check Before You Burn Map: Visit the Check Before You Burn map on our website for daily forecast information. 

Toll-Free Phone Number: Call 866-966-3293 for daily Check Before You Burn information. 

Mobile App: Download the South Coast AQMD app to check local air quality. 

Social Media: Follow South Coast AQMD’s social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. 

Visit South Coast AQMD’s Check Before You Burn Program webpage at www.aqmd.gov/cbyb for more information.