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Annual Residential Wood-burning Restrictions Return for the Winter
 As colder weather sets in, the Valley Air District is reminding everyone to follow the Residential Wood Smoke Reduction Program. The goal of this program is to cut down on harmful air pollution from residential wood burning inside or outside your home during the winter.
From November 1 through February 28, residents must check the daily wood-burning status before using any wood-burning fireplace, stove, heater, or outdoor fire pit/chiminea.
Daily Wood-Burning Status
Each day, the Air District announces the wood-burning status for every county based on the air quality forecast. There are three possible levels:
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No Burning for All – No one can burn wood or pellets at home.
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No Burning Unless Registered – Only people with a registered, clean-burning wood or pellet device may burn.
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Burning Discouraged – Try not to burn. If you do, you must use clean, dry, seasoned wood. Wet or unseasoned wood creates more pollution and can result in a fine.
You can find the daily burn status at valleyair.org/burnstatus, by calling 1-800-SMOG-INFO, or by checking the “Valley Air” app. You can also sign up to get the daily burn status by email.
What’s Exempt
Natural gas fireplaces and heaters can be used anytime.
Homes without utility provided natural gas service, or homes where wood is the only source of heat, are exempt from these rules. (Propane-powered homes count as not having natural gas and are also exempt from these rules.)
Outdoor wood-burning devices like fire pits and chimineas cannot be registered and must always follow the daily restrictions.
Why This Matters
Wood burning creates fine particle pollution (PM2.5) that can harm lungs, worsen breathing problems, and negatively impact neighborhood air quality. Reducing wood smoke helps protect public health during the winter months.
Programs for Cleaner Heating
Residents who want cleaner, more efficient heating options may qualify for the Air District’s Fireplace & Woodstove Change-Out Program, which offers up to $5,000 to replace old, high-polluting wood-burning units with electric heat pumps or natural gas inserts. Learn more at valleyair.org/change-out.
If you already have an EPA-certified wood or pellet stove, you can register it for use on “No Burning Unless Registered” days at valleyair.org/deviceregistration.
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Healthy Air Living Schools Program Expands its Outreach Resources & School Engagement
The Air District continues to refine and strengthen the award-winning Healthy Air Living Schools Program through streamlined outreach and consistent, effective engagement across the Valley. Parents are increasingly playing an important role in encouraging schools to monitor air quality levels and extend air quality awareness beyond the classroom. At the same time, the Air District has worked closely with schools to understand their needs and identify the most effective ways to connect students with daily air quality information.
Over the last year, these efforts have resulted in:
- Protecting student health at schools throughout the Valley by adjusting outdoor activities during episodes of poor air quality while maximizing safe physical activity
- Regularly and widely sharing air quality information with parents, teachers, students, coaches, and administrators through email, text alerts, and app notifications
- Engaging students of all grade levels, communicating both air quality progress and challenges, and empowering them as clean-air ambassadors
- Promoting Air District incentive grant programs to parents, teachers, and administrators
- Schools adopting no-idling initiatives through signage, policies, and education campaigns
Schools count on the Air District for help navigating air quality challenges, understanding and utilizing EPA's AirNow and Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) data, and identifying actions to reduce their own pollution footprint.
In response, the Air District has created new outreach tools and resources to help schools, parents and students understand air quality better. The additional resources include:
- Side-by-side RAAN and EPA's AirNow Guidelines
- Multi-day classroom experiment box that helps students in kindergarten through sixth grade explore particulate matter in their environment
- Matching game that links daily activities to pollution sources
- Puzzle game to help students learn about actions that can clean the air
- Toddler board books that introduce air quality in a simple format
In the coming year, the Air District envisions expanding the program’s reach and visibility by helping schools showcase their participation through various recognition materials that highlight their leadership in student health and air quality awareness. These materials will serve as visible reminders of each school’s commitment to protecting children and improving community health, while reinforcing the Air District’s dedication to supporting Valley youth.
To learn more about Healthy Air Living Schools or participate in the program, visit valleyair.org/HAL/Schools.
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Arvin Town Hall Brings Clean Air Resources to Residents
On September 25, 2025, the Air District hosted the Pathways to Cleaner Air: Community Town Hall at Faro Church in Arvin, in partnership with the City of Arvin and the Mayor. The event provided an opportunity for residents within the Arvin/Lamont AB 617 community to learn about clean air resources and funding opportunities available through the Air District’s AB 617 program and local partner organizations.
As part of the event, attendees also took part in a Clean Air Resource Fair, where they connected directly with local organizations to learn about available programs and services, such as those offered by the Kern Community College District, Kern County Department of Public Health and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Air District staff were on site to answer questions and help residents confirm their eligibility and apply for programs, including the new Clean Air Rooms program that provides free indoor air purifiers for the Arvin/Lamont AB 617 community. In addition, staff helped participants register for a November lawn mower exchange event in Arvin, which gave residents an opportunity to swap out old, polluting lawn mowers for a free electric model.
More than 130 attendees, including residents, local businesses, community-based organizations and partner agencies, participated in the town hall event.
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Tune In Tune Up Program Helps Valley Drivers Curb Emissions
The Air District’s successful Tune In Tune Up (TITU) program is helping Valley residents clean up their vehicles, reduce pollution and breathe easier.
The TITU program offers residents with opportunities to cut emissions from their vehicles through a couple of ways:
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Emissions test: Vehicles can get a free emissions test to see if they will pass a smog check. These TITU events rotate throughout the Valley and are organized through Valley Clean Air Now (CAN), a program partner.
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Repair help: High-polluting vehicles that fail the smog test can receive a voucher for up to $850 to help with emissions-related repairs.
The next TITU event will be December 6, 2025, at the Grape Festival Fairgrounds in Lodi. To learn more about the upcoming event or future event dates in 2026, visit the Valley CAN events webpage. For more information about TITU, visit the Repair webpage.
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District Recognized with Two Top Honors |
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Two leading industry organizations recently honored the Air District for outstanding work in media outreach and air monitoring innovation.
- The California Association of Public Information Officials announced the winners of the 2025 STAR Awards last month. The awards recognize excellence in government video programming in more than 40 categories. The Air District won a 3rd-place STAR Award for Community Event Coverage for its Community Clean Air Day 2024 video.
- The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies also recently announced its 2025 Best Practices in Air Pollution Control. This national recognition highlights agencies that deliver innovative programs, deploy cutting-edge technology, and raise the bar on agency operations. The Air District was recognized for its work implementing an inventory tracking system that strengthens and streamlines air monitoring operations.
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News Room
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Visit the News Room for additional Valley Air District news releases. |
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