A "Check Before You Burn" warning has been issued for parts of Kern County on Tuesday.
Air officials have issued the first Valley-wide prohibition on wood burning of the season.
On Nov. 21, no wood burning is allowed in parts of the Valley Air basin portion of Kern County. The curtailment also includes San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno and Tulare counties.
The mandatory burning curtailment prohibits using unregistered burning devices.
This includes burning wood and pellets in unregistered residential stoves and inserts, burning wood, pellets, manufactured fire logs in fireplaces, or outdoor burning devices such as fire pits and chimneys.
Kern County has a "No Burning Unless Registered" curtailment due to poor air quality that is in place from midnight Monday through midnight Tuesday.
In order to burn with that warning in place, residents must register their emission-compliant wood-burning device with the Valley Air District. You can click here to find out if you can register.
According to Valley Air, there are two exceptions to wood-burning prohibitions: the residence does not have access to natural-gas service, even if propane is used or if burning solid fuel is the sole source of heat for the residence.
"Check Before You Burn" runs during winter months, aiming to reduce wintertime particulate pollution. According to Valley Air, residential wood burning is the single largest source of harmful particulate pollution during the winter.
Air officials issue a daily wood burning status by county, which residents can visit clicking here.
