Log burner regulations

Who signs off the work

Fitting a stove, a new flue or a new liner counts as building work under the Building Regulations. There are two ways to have it approved.

• A registered installer. Installers on a government-authorised competent person scheme, HETAS being the main one for wood and solid fuel, can certify their own work. They notify the council, and you receive a certificate within 30 days of completion. No fee to the council.
• A building notice. Anyone else, including you, must tell the council before work starts. Building control then inspects and issues a completion certificate. Council fees are typically £370 to £530 and vary by area.

You can check an installer on the HETAS website by name or postcode. Keep the certificate with the house documents; a buyer’s solicitor will ask for it.

What Part J asks for

Approved Document J is the government’s guidance on meeting the Building Regulations for heat-producing appliances. For a wood burning stove the main points are:

• A sound flue of the right size. 125 mm for a smoke-exempt stove up to 20 kW, otherwise usually 150 mm. A flue of at least 4.5 metres is the usual guide.
• The right height out of the roof. At least 600 mm above the ridge if within 600 mm of it; at least 1 metre above any opening window or rooflight within 2.3 metres.
• A hearth. A 12 mm non-combustible plate if the stove keeps the floor below 100°C, otherwise a 125 mm constructional hearth. The visible hearth reaches at least 225 mm in front and 150 mm at the sides.
• Air. In most pre-2008 homes, no permanent vent for stoves up to 5 kW; above that, 550 mm² per kW over 5. Airtight homes need more.
• Clearances. The stove maker’s distances to anything combustible.
• A notice plate recording the flue and the date, fixed near the stove, the flue or the electricity meter.

See hearths for log burners and twin-wall flue installation for these in more detail.

Carbon monoxide alarms

Since 1 October 2022, Part J requires a carbon monoxide alarm in any room in England where a new or replacement fixed combustion appliance is installed, gas cookers excepted. Solid fuel stoves have needed one since 2010. The alarm should meet BS EN 50291, be on the ceiling at least 300 mm from walls or high on a wall, and sit between 1 and 3 metres from the stove. Fitters normally supply one; test it monthly and replace it when it expires.

Landlords in England must also fit a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, including stoves fitted before the rules changed.

Smoke control areas

Much of urban England is covered by smoke control areas. Inside one, you may not let smoke come out of a chimney unless you are burning an authorised fuel or using a Defra-exempt appliance with the fuels its maker lists. In England councils can issue a penalty of up to £300 for a smoking chimney, and buying unauthorised fuel for use in a non-exempt stove can bring a fine of up to £1,000.

Your council can confirm whether you are in one, and Defra publishes the lists of exempt appliances and authorised fuels. If you are, choose a stove marked as Defra-exempt or approved for smoke control areas before you buy.

Ecodesign stoves

Since 1 January 2022, new stoves sold in Great Britain must meet Ecodesign limits on efficiency and emissions of particles, carbon monoxide and other gases. Any stove sold new by a reputable retailer meets them. If you are buying second-hand, check the stove’s data plate and paperwork; an older stove can still be fitted but may not be exempt for a smoke control area.

Wet wood and what you can burn

The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 stopped the sale of wet wood in small quantities. Wood sold in units under 2 cubic metres must be certified as having a moisture content of 20% or less, which is what the Ready to Burn label shows. Larger loads may be sold wet, but must come with advice on drying them before use. Bituminous house coal can no longer be sold for domestic burning in England.

Wood with less than 20% moisture burns hotter and cleaner, and protects your liner. Logs you cut yourself need storing under cover with air around them, usually for at least a year, and a moisture meter costs about £25.

Planning permission

A stove inside a house does not need planning permission. A new flue usually does not either, provided it rises no more than 1 metre above the highest part of the roof. Listed buildings need listed building consent; in a conservation area, a flue on the front or on a side wall facing a road usually needs permission; and flats have no permitted development rights. Ask your council if any of these apply.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Wales has its own version of Approved Document J and its own smoke control rules. In Scotland, stove installations need a building warrant unless a certifier of construction (HETAS runs a scheme there) completes the work. Northern Ireland has separate Building Regulations. Smoke control areas exist in all four nations; check with your council.