Residential and Commercial Wood Burning
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Outdoor Wood Boilers (OWBs)
OWBs (also known as outdoor hydronic heaters) are fuel burning devices:
- designed to burn wood or other fuels;
- that the manufacturer specifies for outdoor installation or installation in structures not normally occupied by humans; and
- that are used to heat building space and/or water through the distribution, typically through pipes, of a gas or liquid (e.g., water or water/antifreeze mixture) heated in the device.
A typical unit looks like a small metal storage shed with a stack. OWBs can also be used to heat swimming pools, greenhouses, milk rooms, etc.
Regulations for OWBs
DEC adopted Part 247, Outdoor Wood Boilers (leaves DEC website) on December 29, 2010. The rule affects owners, operators, manufacturers and distributors of OWBs. It is also important to check with your town clerk to see if there are any local laws related to OWBs in effect in your town.
- All OWBs sold on or after April 15, 2011 must be certified by DEC for sale in NYS.
- Manufacturers must apply for certification (PDF) for each model to be sold in NYS. A manufacturer's checklist (PDF) should be used when preparing an application package.
- A Notice to Buyer of a New Outdoor Wood Boiler (PDF) must be signed and dated by the buyer (or lessee) and the seller (or lessor) of any new OWB sold or leased in NYS, and must be submitted to DEC within seven days after the new OWB is delivered to the buyer (or lessee).
Nuisance Situations
Nuisance situations typically arise in cases where an OWB is installed close to a property boundary line, has a short stack and/or burns unseasoned wood or other inappropriate fuel. Examples of a nuisance condition are:
- activation of smoke detectors in neighboring structures;
- visibility impairment on a public highway; or
- a visible plume from the OWB contacting a building on an adjacent property.
Contact the DEC regional office for your location if you are adversely impacted by smoke from a neighbor's OWB.
NYS Certified OWB Models
Residential use, 100' minimum setback, cord wood fuel
Central Boiler models and certified emission rates:
- Classic Edge 360 - 0.12 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through July 7, 2025
- Classic Edge 560 - 0.14 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through July 7, 2025
- Maxim 255 PE - 0.03 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through July 19, 2027
Greentech Manufacturing, Inc. models and certified emission rate:
- Crown Royal 7200-E - 0.084 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through April 13, 2027
- Crown Royal 7300-E - 0.080 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through April 20, 2027
Polar Furnace models and certified emission rate:
- G3 - 0.059 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through June 4, 2026
SteelTech Inc. (Heatmaster ss) models and certified emission rates:
- G200-2/GS200 - 0.066 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through December 23, 2023
- G100/GS100 - 0.073 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through February 21, 2024
- G4000 - 0.10 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through March 16, 2027
- G7000 - 0.055 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through March 16, 2027
WoodMaster, Inc. models and certified emission rates:
- CleanFire 300 - 0.12 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through September 9, 2025
- CleanFire 500 - 0.14 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through September 10, 2025
- Maxim 255 PE - 0.03 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through July 19, 2027
Commercial use, 200' minimum setback, cord wood fuel
Central Boiler, Inc. model and certified emission rate:
- Classic Edge 960 - 0.060 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through June 1, 2027
Greentech Manufacturing, Inc. models and certified emission rate:
- Crown Royal RS7400-E - 0.236 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through June 5, 2024
- Crown Royal 7400-E - 0.060 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through May 16, 2027
SteelTech Inc. (Heatmaster ss) models and certified emission rate:
- G400/GS400 - 0.228 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through February 21, 2024
- G10000 - 0.053 lb/MMBtu - NYS Certification valid through April 3, 2027
WoodMaster, Inc. model and certified emission rate:
- CleanFire 900 - 0.060 lb/mmBtu - NYS Certification valid through June 1, 2027
Indoor Wood Stoves
New indoor wood stoves are not regulated by the DEC. They are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a New Source Performance Standard (40 CFR 60, Subpart AAA). For more information, visit EPA's Wood Heater Compliance Monitoring Program (leaves DEC website).
Fireplaces and Fireplace Inserts
EPA has a voluntary program regarding fireplaces and fireplace inserts. For more information, visit EPA's Burn Wise (leaves DEC website), a program that promotes the importance of burning the right wood, the right way, in the right appliance.
Biomass Fuels Emissions Research
DEC and the NYS Department of Health collaborated with Brookhaven National Laboratory on a NYS Energy Research and Development Authority-funded research project examining emissions from solid biomass fuel appliances that burn wood chips, pellets, and cordwood. The research measured particulate matter composition and concentration. Research papers further describing these efforts are at the links below. These links leave the DEC website.
- Characterization of in-stack particulate emissions from residential wood hydronic heater appliances under different combustion conditions
- Realistic operation of two residential cordwood-fired outdoor hydronic heater appliances - Part 2: Particle number and size
- Realistic operation of two residential cordwood-fired outdoor hydronic heater appliances - Part 3: Optical properties of black and brown carbon emissions
