Q & A - A customer told me I should not be burning wood in my outdoor firepit or oven. Is that true?

A: Good question! The short answer is, it depends on the day.

From Oct 1-Mar 1, you should always check before you burn.

The Health Department has a winter wood smoke ordinance in effect from Oct 1- Mar 1 because wood smoke contributes to air pollution. During these colder months - homeowners, renters, and businesses in Multnomah County cannot use wood stoves, fireplaces, or burn outdoors on days that air pollution is poor. The rules apply to wood-burning fire pits at any restaurant or food cart pod during these months.

These rules do not apply to cooking food in wood ovens or BBQs.

There are several links below that go into detail on the rules and how to receive email alerts on the 'yellow'(voluntary) and 'red' (mandatory) days. You can also request table tents saying you check before you burn for your outdoor seating areas by emailing woodsmokecomplaints@multco.us.

Sign up to receive email alerts

• Learn more about the rules at multco.us/woodsmokestatus

• Learn more about wood smoke pollution

Image: Vegan wood-fired pizza from Baby Blue Woodfired Pizza at Rose City Food Cart Pod on NE Sandy