Fireplaces and solid fuel burning appliances
**NOTICE TO ALL OWNERS OF A SOLID FUEL BURNING APPLIANCE OR FIREPLACE**
Guided by its desire to offer a healthy environment and quality of life to its citizens, the city council adopted, on December 7, 2020, by-law 814 on solid fuel appliances and fireplaces.
Burning firewood is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and can have harmful effects on health. Protecting the environment and air quality is a collective responsibility, and it is with a view to pursuing its strategic initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions on its territory that the city has made changes to the regulations governing solid fuel burning appliances.
Before using a solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace or undertaking installation or renovation work, be sure to know the regulations in force.
What is a solid fuel burning appliance?
Solid fuel burning appliances are stoves, inserts or factory-built fireplaces designed to burn logs of wood or other solid materials such as manufactured firelogs, coal or pellets.
A gas fireplace or electric fireplace is not a solid fuel burning appliance.
Rules concerning the use of solid fuel burning appliances and fireplaces
It is prohibited to use a solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace that is not EPA or CAN/CSA- B415.1 certified and that does not meet the maximum particulate matter emission rate of 4.1 g/h, except for homeowners with a grandfathered right until 2025.
It is also prohibited to use any solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace (whether it is compliant or not) when an Environment Canada smog warning is in effect for some or all of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
These restrictions do not apply during power outages affecting the residence for more than 3 hours.
By-law number 814 5 March 2024
Appliances and fireplaces using solid fuel
Existing appliances grandfathered until 2025
If you own a solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace with a particulate matter emission rate that exceeds 4.1 g/h, you must declare it to the City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue before June 8, 2021 in order to benefit from a grandfathered right to use the appliance until September 1, 2025.
Homeowners who do not declare their appliances by June 8, 2021 may be subject to fines and will not be entitled to the grandfathered right. The City may therefore require the homeowner to stop using their device before 2025. After this date, any appliance will have to comply with the regultations in force.
For more information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page or contact the Urban Planning Department at 514-457-5720 or permis@sadb.qc.ca.
Remplir le formulaire de déclaration
By-law number 814 5 March 2024
Appliances and fireplaces using solid fuel
Outdoor fireplaces
Outdoor fireplaces, covered or otherwise, are prohibited throughout the Agglomeration of Montreal. In addition, any outdoor burning of wood, paper, waste, leaves, garbage, electrical wires or other material is prohibited in Sainte- Anne-de-Bellevue. Refer to By-law 770 – Section 5.5
Installing or replacing solid fuel burning appliances or fireplaces
New or replacement solid fuel burning appliances or fireplaces installed inside buildings must be EPA-certified and emit 2.5 g/h or less of fine particles into the air. You must obtain a permit before proceeding with the work. Refer to By-law 534 – Section 3.10
Permit Application Forms (see Renovation permit)
Règlement numéro 534 19 septembre 2019
Dispositions générales - Règlement de construction
Mandatory declaration of a solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace
All owners of a solid fuel burning appliance or fireplace in the territory of the City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, even if this appliance was installed a long time ago, must complete a declaration form and submit it to the City.
The deadline for completing the mandatory declaration is June 8, 2021.
The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue thus wishes to create a register of all solid fuel burning appliances on its territory in order to have a better portrait of the situation for future decisions and in order to be able to communicate better with owners in the event of regulatory changes.
Declaration form ->
Wood heating: regulations that improve air quality
(Source: City of Montreal)
In Montreal, wood burning is one of the main causes of winter smog, which has a significant impact on the environment and our health. The wood heating bylaw helps improve air quality. Here's how.
Why regulate wood heating?
Pollutants from wood burning, including fine particulate matter, have harmful effects on health, such as:
- worsening asthma;
- bronchitis in children;
- lung cancer;
- premature death in people with chronic heart or respiratory diseases.
For these reasons, the City of Montreal introduced regulations on wood heating in 2015. Since then, it has been prohibited to use wood-burning appliances or fireplaces during smog advisories. Please note: if your fireplace does not comply with regulations, the ban is in effect at all times.
A significant impact 
From 2009 to 2019, Montréal collected samples to assess the impact of the city’s wood heating by-law on air quality. The data show a reduction in emissions from wood burning, which shows that the use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces has been reduced since the first by-law was adopted in 2009. For the 2018-2019 period, there was a 35 per cent reduction in a tracer from wood combustion as compared with the 2017-2018 period.The number of winter smog days is also down: There were only two in 2018 compared with 27 in 2008.
Smog warning
Do you have a wood-burning stove or fireplace? Want to learn more about air quality? Download the WeatherCAN app to receive smog warnings in Montréal. The app also issues Environment Canada alerts.
Frequently asked questions
A: A homeowner who fails to declare his/her appliance or fireplace before June 8, 2021 is liable to penalties and will not benefit from grandfathered rights if the appliance does not meet the emission standard equal to or less than 4.1 g/h of fine particles in the air. The City could therefore ask him to stop using his device before 2025.
A: Yes. We ask all owners of fireplaces or solid combustion appliances, without exception, to complete the declaration form.
A: The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue wishes to create a register of all solid fuel burning appliances and fireplaces on its territory in order to have a better picture of the situation for future decisions and in order to be able to communicate better with owners in the event of regulatory changes.
A: After September 1, 2025, all non-compliant solid fuel burning appliances or fireplaces must be replaced with one that meets the current standard. Non-compliant appliances that are not replaced can only be used during power outages affecting the residence for more than 3 hours.
A: EPA stands for Environmental Protection Agency. It is the US agency responsible for setting environmental standards for the United States.
A: Solid fuel burning appliances are stoves, inserts or factory-built fireplaces designed to burn logs of wood or other solid materials such as manufactured firelogs or coal.
A gas fireplace or electric fireplace is not a solid fuel appliance.
A: Burning firewood is a significant source of fine particulate emissions in the Montreal area (39%), immediately following transportation (45%). Wood heating is a leading cause of winter smog.
In addition to negatively impacting the environment and air quality, the emissions from wood burning are harmful for health, contributing to asthma, childhood bronchitis, lung cancer, premature death in people suffering from chronic heart or respiratory diseases, etc.
