Why does my newer Arizona home only have a gas fireplace, and can I make it burn wood?

Phoenix Fireplace & Chimney · November 2, 2026

The 1998 deadline that shaped Valley fireplaces

A.R.S. 9-500.16, the state statute for cities and towns in the Phoenix-area air-quality region called Area A, ordered every one of them to adopt a clean-burning fireplace ordinance by December 31, 1998. A twin statute, A.R.S. 11-875, gives counties the same order for unincorporated land. From that date on, a new fireplace could only be built if it had a permanently installed gas or electric log insert, if it was an EPA-certified solid-fuel appliance (or tested and listed as equal, or approved by the county), or if it had a certified wood stove insert built in.

Builders went the cheap and simple way: a factory-built firebox in a framed chase, with a gas log set bolted in and a gas line run to it. That is the fireplace in most living rooms in Buckeye, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Maricopa, Goodyear and Surprise, where Census ACS data shows three-quarters or more of homes were built in 2000 or later. In Buckeye the figure is 90 percent, and in Maricopa it is 93 percent.

Older parts of the Valley still have plenty of true wood fireplaces. Census ACS puts the share of pre-1980 homes at 42 percent in Phoenix, 41 percent in Tempe and 89 percent in Sun City, so a brick firebox with a damper is normal there. The rule only covers what was built after the deadline.

Why you can't simply pull the logs and light wood

The statute also tells cities to prohibit converting a permitted fireplace to a non-permitted use. Phoenix spells this out in its 2024 residential code amendment R333.3: a fireplace installed on or after December 31, 1998 with a gas or electric log insert shall not be altered to directly burn wood or any other solid fuel. The same section adds that such a fireplace shall not be altered at all without first getting a permit from the city.

There is a practical side too. The gas logs, burner pan and valve are part of how the unit was approved and installed. Lifting them out to burn wood leaves an open gas stub in the firebox, and the factory-built box was not necessarily set up by the builder for regular wood fires, with the right screen, doors and clearances. We would not light a wood fire in one without the manufacturer's instructions and a clear answer from the city.

Other Valley cities passed their own ordinances in the 1990s to meet the same statute. We have not verified each one's wording, so before any change outside Phoenix we check what your city requires.

What you can do if you want a better fire

Most people who ask this question really want a fire that looks and feels less fake. That is usually solvable inside the rules.

• Replace a tired, sooty log set with a newer one sized to the firebox. A good set with ember material and correct burner placement looks far more natural than a builder-grade set from 2005.
• Adjust the flame. Many dull fires come from a dirty burner, clogged ports or a log set put back in the wrong places after a cleaning.
• Add a real wood fire outdoors. Phoenix's R333 exceptions list fire pits and other outdoor fireplaces as not regulated by the indoor rule, though they still fall under No Burn Days and the county's summer ban on wood fires.
• If you want a sealed, more efficient heater, ask about a gas insert. HomeGuide's 2026 guide puts an installed gas insert at $2,000 to $5,000.

What we check on a post-1998 gas fireplace

On a free inspection we light the unit, look at the burner, logs and ember bed, check the glass or screen, look at the vent or chimney top from the roof, and photograph what we find. If the gas line needs to be moved or extended for a new set, HomeGuide lists extending a line at $350 to $2,000, and in Phoenix gas line work is permit work. The log set itself is priced at the inspection, once we know the firebox size and venting.