Outdoor fireplace regulations differ significantly across New Zealand. While the national building code provides baseline requirements, regional councils impose additional restrictions based on local air quality concerns and fire safety considerations.Understanding your region's specific council regulation requirements helps avoid compliance issues and potential fines during installation and use.
Environment Canterbury operates eight Clean Air Zones: Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ashburton, Timaru (Washdyke), Geraldine, and Waimate. Within the Christchurch clean air zone, outdoor burning is prohibited from 1 May to 31 August except for cooking purposes. From 1 September to 30 April, outdoor fires are permitted.
These restrictions apply to all properties regardless of size, including rural blocks over 2 hectares. Environment Canterbury enforces the rules through instant infringement notices with fines of $300 for residential properties and $1,000 for commercial properties.
Smoke must not create a nuisance to neighbours at any time, even during permitted burning seasons. The cooking exemption is important for outdoor fireplace owners, as it means fireplaces used for cooking can operate year-round in these zones. We cover this exemption in detail in our guide to outdoor fireplaces in clean air zones.
Tip for cleaner fires: Choosing the right firewood can significantly reduce smoke levels. Well-seasoned hardwoods like Red Gum or Ironbark burn hotter and cleaner, while wet or green wood produces excessive smoke and lower heat output. For a full guide, see Choosing the best firewood for your outdoor fireplace.
Auckland Council prohibits outdoor fires in all urban residential and business areas under its Outdoor Fire Safety Bylaw 2014. Small heating or cooking fires, including pizza ovens, barbecues, hangi, and chimineas, remain permitted. An outdoor fireplace classified as a cooking appliance is allowed in urban zones.
The Auckland Unitary Plan Chapter E14 requires that any outdoor fireplace must not cause nuisance to neighbours from smoke, ash, or smells, regardless of property size. While building consent isn't required for outdoor fireplaces meeting national exemption criteria, air quality requirements still apply. Properties under 2 hectares must ensure that solid fuel burners installed after 1 September 2005 meet National Environmental Standards.
Trendz outdoor fireplaces are designed to meet these requirements, combining high-efficiency burning with minimal smoke output, making them compliant with council air quality and nuisance standards.
Greater Wellington Regional Council doesn't operate clean air zones but focuses on emissions standards for home heating. Each territorial authority (Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, Kapiti Coast) applies specific rules around outdoor fireplace installations.
Wellington City Council requires a building consent for most solid fuel heating installations. The Natural Resources Plan includes rules around air discharges, requiring that smoke not create a nuisance to neighbouring properties. Council regulation in Wellington emphasises clean-air-approved appliances and proper emissions management rather than seasonal restrictions.
For national building consent requirements that apply across all regions, our guide to consents for outdoor fireplaces covers the exemption criteria and application process.
Taranaki Regional Council permits outdoor fires for cooking or heating (barbecues, hangi, braziers) without special permits. For urban properties under 5,000 square metres serviced by weekly rubbish collection, burning household rubbish or green waste is banned, but outdoor fireplaces used for heating or cooking are allowed.
Fires must not cause nuisance to neighbours from smoke, odour, ash, or toxic fumes. If weather conditions change and a fire becomes a nuisance, it must be extinguished. The Regional Air Quality Plan for Taranaki allows outdoor burning, provided it doesn't create adverse effects. In some circumstances, fires must be kept at least 50 metres from roads or 100 metres from highways or neighbouring houses.
Otago Regional Council operates two Air Zones with stricter regulations in urban areas experiencing poor air quality. In Air Zones 1 and 2, outdoor fires must be at least 50 metres from any boundary. Fires closer than this require resource consent. Properties in these zones are unlikely to be large enough to meet the 50-metre requirement.
Outside designated Air Zones, outdoor fireplace use is permitted provided smoke doesn't create a nuisance to neighbours and only permitted materials are burned (dry paper, cardboard, plant matter, and untreated wood). Otago Regional Council recommends checking whether outdoor burning requires permits from the local district council, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, or the Department of Conservation before installation.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand manages fire seasons and permits nationwide, separate from regional council regulation. The organisation operates three fire seasons: Open (fires may be lit without restriction), Restricted (fire permits required), and Prohibited (total fire ban).
Before lighting any outdoor fireplace, check the current fire season at checkitsalright.nz. Even with building consent and regional council approval, Fire and Emergency New Zealand's fire season restrictions still apply. While an outdoor fireplace can be built 1 metre from a boundary under building code rules, Fire and Emergency may require it to be 3 metres from boundaries, buildings, hedges, or combustible materials before issuing a fire permit.
Your outdoor fireplace installation needs to comply with three separate sets of rules: national building code exemptions, regional council air quality regulations, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand fire season restrictions. All three apply simultaneously.
Trendz Outdoors has worked with councils nationwide since 2006 and regularly handles consent applications and exemption certificates. Our team understands regional variations and can help navigate the council regulation requirements specific to your area.
Ready to plan your outdoor space? Download our inspiration guide to explore outdoor fireplace NZ options that work within your region's requirements.