In this guide
Before you buy fuel or burn it, it is worth knowing whether your home is in a smoke control area. This guide explains what that means in plain English. It is a general introduction, not legal advice, and the rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and change over time, so always check the official sources linked below.
What is a smoke control area?
A smoke control area is a part of a town or city where the local council has decided to limit the amount of smoke coming from chimneys, to improve air quality. They were introduced under clean air law and many urban areas, and some suburbs, are covered. Some whole districts are covered; others only parts.
Within one, the general rule is that you may not emit smoke from a chimney of a building, a furnace or a boiler unless you are:
- burning an authorised fuel, or
- using an exempt appliance, an appliance that has been tested and approved for use in smoke control areas.
How do I find out if I am in one?
Ask your local council, or check its website. Most councils publish a map or a postcode checker, and the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) publishes guidance and lists. If in doubt, ask the council directly. It is the council that decides, and you can sometimes find that one side of a street is covered and the other is not.
What does this mean for what I burn?
If you are in a smoke control area:
- Authorised fuels can be burned in any appliance that is suitable for them. Authorised fuels include many manufactured smokeless fuels. The authorised fuels list is published by Defra, and a fuel's packaging should say if it is authorised.
- Wood can only be burned in an exempt appliance. An ordinary stove or open fire that is not exempt may not burn wood in a smoke control area, however dry the wood is.
- Ordinary house coal is not an authorised fuel.
Whether your stove is exempt is stated in its documentation, and Defra publishes a list of exempt appliances. If you are unsure, ask the maker or the installer.
What if I am not in a smoke control area?
You may have more freedom over what you burn, but the same good practice applies: burn only dry, appropriate fuel in an appliance designed for it; see how to light a fire in a stove. Rules about the sale of certain fuels, such as wet wood in small quantities and house coal, apply regardless of where you live in England, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulations. Check the government's website for the current position in your part of the UK.
Choosing fuel to be on the safe side
- Check the label for an authorised-fuel statement on smokeless fuel.
- Use dry wood, ideally certified; see Ready to Burn explained.
- Check your appliance's manual for which fuels it is designed for and whether it is exempt.
- Keep the stove and flue maintained; see stove and chimney care.
When we describe fuels
Where a product we sell is suitable for smoke control areas, its product page says so, but the appliance and your area still matter. Always check both before you buy and burn.
Where to check
- Your local council's environmental health or air quality pages
- Defra's lists of authorised fuels and exempt appliances
- The government's guidance on burning wood and coal at home
Rules and lists are updated from time to time, so use the official source rather than relying on a copy.
