Existing heating

Currently there are no rules banning existing open fires, woodburners or other solid fuel burners.

You are only allowed to use dry wood with a moisture content of less than 25% (does not apply in back country DOC huts), paper and cardboard. You can get the moisture content of firewood tested for free at Environment Canterbury's Christchurch and Timaru offices (all year), the Ashburton and Waimakariri District Councils and the Kaiapoi Service Centre (winter only). 

Other heating options

No resource consent necessary:

•  Heat pump
•  Nightstore heater
•  Fixed-flued gas or liquid fuel (including oil and diesel) heater
•  Any woodburner or pellet fire
•  Any new multi-fuel burner
•  Any new coal burner
•  Any new open fire
•  Any new cooker using wood or coal.

Building consent

Most burners with a flue, such as all woodburners and pellet fires (but not flued gas heaters), will need a building consent from the Christchurch City Council or your local district council.

More information

Please contact our Customer Services team if you have further questions.

Disclaimer

This is a summary of the rules in the Air Plan (Canterbury Natural Resources Regional Plan - Chapter 3: Air Quality) as they are currently applied by Environment Canterbury and the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality and is intended as a guide only. You should refer to the Standards and the Operative Regional Plan directly and satisfy yourself as to their provisions before taking any action or making any decisions on any matters covered here.

Please note: an urban area is defined as an area that is a city, town, village, residential area or collection of workplaces and is specified in an operative district planning map as a residential, living commercial, business or industrial zone, or a zone of a similar effect.