wood-burning fireplace

[Teeshot]

Scenario: Northern California; an existing wood-burning fireplace in a living room which is being converted to a bedroom. Is the fireplace allowed to remain, or does it have to meet the sealed unit (gas appliance) requirement in the Mech. Code? The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has regulations on wood-burning devices (fireplaces) when they are being remodeled or in new construction, but this fireplace is not being touched, just the space surrounding it. Thoughts?

 

[cda]

Welcome
There are some calif people on the site, give it a day or two.

Do you have a link to the Bay Area requirements ??

City may say since you are converting a bedroom, the fire place may need to be upgraded.

What is needed to do that?? And rough costs? And you are in the middle of some big fires lately, which may not help.

 

[conarb]

Good question, if you contact the BAAQMD they will tell you that you have to, in fact you may be eligible for a BAAQMD grant if you do, if you don't and go to sell the home you will have to provide a disclosure to the buyer about the dangers of wood smoke, but building departments do not enforce the BAAWMD requirements if they are not part of the permitted work.

Another big question is where in Northern California? If you are outside the BAAQMD regulations are different.