Comments on: Are outdoor fireplaces prohibited in San Francisco?

Question: Are outdoor fireplaces prohibited in San Francisco?

yizzle — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:47:24 -0800

Are there any laws prohibiting outdoor fireplaces (sometimes called chimineas) within the city of San Francisco? I am thinking of getting one for my back porch, but don't want anyone calling the cops/FD on me. I've checked the SFFD website, but couldn't find anything.

By: Happy Dave

Happy Dave — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:27:51 -0800

Have a look here. Particularly at this page.

It would appear there is no law against it, but that you need to have a stove/chiminea that's certified by the EPA, and only burn firewood sold as such.

Ordinances like this usually come under clean air rules in cities, rather than fire safety.

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:18:01 -0800

You will also want to keep and ear out for Spare the Air nights, when it's not legal to burn wood. That's likely the only time that anyone might call the cops. They have an email alert you can sign up for.