Wood and Pellet Stove Installation in Denver

Not every wood stove can be sold or installed in the Denver metro. Under Colorado Regulation No. 4, since May 15, 2020 every new wood-burning stove sold or installed in the state must meet the EPA's current Step 2 emission standards. Denver's own code goes further: no solid-fuel device can be sold or installed in the city unless it is certified or approved, and a new home or addition may have only one.

The upside is that a certified stove can stay in use on winter Action Days, when an old open fireplace cannot. The CDPHE lists EPA-certified Phase III stoves and approved pellet stoves among the exempt devices. A wood stove with liner or pipe typically runs $3,000 to $8,000 installed, and a pellet stove typically $1,600 to $4,100. Either one also gives you real heat in a room, not just a view of the flames.

Signs you need this

• You want a fire you can use on no-burn days
• An old uncertified stove you want to replace
• A cold room or basement that needs a real heat source
• An unused masonry chimney that could vent a stove
• Moving into a home with a stove of unknown age or listing

How we do it

1. Site visitWe look at the room, floor, wall clearances and the chimney or route for a new pipe, at no charge, and talk through wood versus pellet.
2. Pick a certified modelWe only install stoves that meet current EPA standards, and we check the model against the EPA certified list before ordering.
3. Permit and ventingMost metro cities require a permit for a stove install, and we check that before the job. The flue gets a matched liner or a listed chimney pipe.
4. Install and walk throughWe set the stove on a proper hearth pad, connect and seal the venting, check draft, and show you how to light and run it cleanly.

Can I use a wood stove on a no-burn day?

Yes, if it is an EPA-certified Phase III stove or a Colorado-approved pellet stove. Those are exempt from the indoor burning restrictions on Action Days. Uncertified stoves and open fireplaces are not, whatever fuel they burn. Even certified stoves may only burn clean, dry, untreated wood, never trash, painted wood or plastic.

I live above 7,000 feet. Does any of this apply?

The Action Day burning restrictions do not apply above 7,000 feet, but that exemption covers use only. The CDPHE says any indoor burning device bought or installed in the seven-county metro must meet current emission standards, wherever the home sits. So a new stove in an Evergreen-area home still has to be certified.

What else comes with a stove install?

In Colorado, permitted work that replaces or adds a fuel-fired appliance triggers the carbon monoxide alarm rule in C.R.S. 38-45-102: a working CO alarm within 15 feet of every bedroom. We check this during the install. Note that the federal 30 percent biomass stove tax credit ended after 2025, and we know of no active Colorado or Denver change-out rebate right now.