From the Forum: Is Restoring a Wood-Burning Fireplace Legal?

One of our readers wants to restore one of the six wood-burning fireplaces in her home, but contractors haven’t been especially helpful in assuring her that it’s legal.

The poster, carmenf, writes:

We are (hopefully!) restoring one of the six fireplaces in our house to its original wood-burning status. It needs repair and relining (also needs to be relined because the boiler vents from that chimney.) We’re having mixed reactions from contractors — some say no problem, others say they think it is now illegal to have a wood-burning fireplace.

I know there’s some sort of law on the books as of recently that is eliminating the ability to build new wood-burning fireplaces, but I didn’t think it affected current fireplaces, even if they are being restored/repaired. Ours definitely needs repair but was absolutely originally wood burning. I can’t find the specific new laws to read them myself. Anyone have any experience with this recently?

One commenter assures that while you can’t build a new home with a wood-burning fireplace, it’s legal to maintain and use an already existing one, but another says companies cannot rebuild them for use. Has anyone else had experience restoring a fireplace to working condition? Head over to the Forum to share your experience.

Have answers? Need help with something? Visit the Brownstoner Forum.

Photo by William Warby via Flickr