From November through February, South Coast AQMD asks residents to “Check Before You Burn”, avoiding indoor and outdoor wood burning on days when unhealthy air quality is forecast.

During the Check Before You Burn season, South Coast AQMD issues mandatory no-burn alerts to help improve wintertime air quality. No-Burn alerts are issued for 24- hour periods when emissions and stagnant weather conditions raise fine particulate pollution to unhealthy levels. These alerts restrict the use of residential wood-burning fireplaces, backyard fire pits, and wood stoves.

There are multiple ways you can Check Before You Burn:

• Sign up at www.AirAlerts.org to receive air quality forecasts and to be notified when a No-Burn alert has been issued;

• Call 866-966-3293 for daily Check Before You Burn information;

• Download the South Coast AQMD app to check local air quality;

• Visit the Check Before You Burn map; and

• Follow South Coast AQMD on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

To learn more about the program, visit www.aqmd.gov/cbyb. To file a residential wood-burning complaint, call 1-800-CUT-SMOG.