[Adopted 11-12-2008, effective 12-10-2008 (Ch.
4, Art. XXII, of the 1983 Code)]
In accordance with the policy of the State of
Connecticut set forth in General Statutes, § 22a-1, to improve
and protect our natural resources and environment and to control air,
land and water pollution in order to enhance the health, safety and
welfare of the people of the State of Connecticut, and in accordance
with the powers of this municipality under our Charter and General
Statutes, § 7-148(c), to protect and promote the safety,
health and welfare of the Town of Woodbridge and the inhabitants of
the municipality; to do all things necessary or desirable to protect
the municipality from fire; to prohibit and abate within the municipality
all nuisances and causes thereof and all things detrimental to the
health, safety, convenience and welfare of the inhabitants of the
municipality; and to regulate the emission of smoke from any chimney,
smokestack or other source within the limits of the municipality and
provide for proper heating of buildings within the municipality, and
in recognition of the inefficiency of and serious health and air pollution
impacts of outdoor wood-burning or wood-fired furnaces or boilers,
it shall and hereby is from the effective date hereof the policy of
the Town of Woodbridge to prohibit all construction, installation,
establishment, modification, operation or use for any reason of an
outdoor wood-burning or wood-fired furnace or boiler (hereinafter
"OWF").
For the purposes of this article, the following
terms shall have the meanings indicated:
Any accessory structure or appliance designed to be located
outside living space ordinarily used for human habitation and designed
to transfer or provide heat, via liquid or other means, through the
burning of wood or solid waste, for heating spaces other than where
such structure or appliance is located, any other structure or appliance
on the premises, or for heating domestic, swimming pool, hot tub or
jacuzzi water. An outdoor wood-burning or wood-fired furnace or boiler
or OWF does not include a fire pit, wood-fired barbecue or chiminea.
A fine of $250 shall be imposed upon each owner,
tenant or person in possession of any property or premises within
the limits of the municipality for each violation of this article.
Each day of operation of such OWF in violation of this article shall
be a separate violation.
Notwithstanding §§ 237-21 and 237-22 of this article, any owner, tenant or person in possession of any property or premises within the limits of the municipality that has installed an OWF prior to the effective date of this article for use as the primary or sole source of heating for a residence or other building or the water used by said residence or other building, will not be found in violation of this article for a period of six months from the effective date hereof or such other time, not to exceed one year, from the effective date hereof as the municipality may agree on a case-by-case basis for good cause in which time said owner, tenant or person in possession must install a lawful and appropriate apparatus in accordance with all applicable statutes, codes, laws, rules and ordinances to ensure the proper heating of said residence or other building or the water used by said residence or other building.
