What requirements must I meet for permanent labels, temporary labels (hangtags), and owner's manuals?
40 C.F.R. § 60.536
in effect(a) General permanent label requirements. (1) Each affected wood heater manufactured on or after the date the applicable standards come into effect as specified in § 60.532, must have a permanent label affixed to it that meets the requirements of this section.
(2) Except for wood heaters subject to § 60.530(b)(1) through (5), the permanent label must contain the following information:
(i) Month and year of manufacture of the individual unit;
(ii) Model name or number;
(iii) Certification test emission value, test method and standard met (e.g., 2015, 2020 crib wood, or 2020 cord wood); and
(iv) Serial number.
(3) The permanent label must:
(i) Be affixed in a readily visible or readily accessible location in such a manner that it can be easily viewed before and after the appliance is installed (an easily-removable facade may be used for aesthetic purposes, however the bottom of a free-standing heater is not considered to be readily visible or readily accessible);
(ii) Be at least 8.9 cm long and 5.1 cm wide (3
1/2 inches long and 2 inches wide);
(iii) Be made of a material expected to last the lifetime of the wood heater;
(iv) Present the required information in a manner so that it is likely to remain legible for the lifetime of the wood heater; and
(v) Be affixed in such a manner that it cannot be removed from the appliance without damage to the label.
(4) The permanent label may be combined with any other label, as long as the required information is displayed, the integrity of the permanent label is not compromised, and the permanent label meets the requirements in § 60.536(a)(3).
(5) Any label statement under paragraph (b) or (c) of this section constitutes a representation by the manufacturer as to any wood heater that bears it:
(i) That a certification of compliance was in effect at the time the wood heater left the possession of the manufacturer;
(ii) That the manufacturer was, at the time the label was affixed, conducting a quality assurance program in conformity with § 60.533(m); and
(iii) That all wood heaters individually tested for emissions by the manufacturer under its quality assurance program pursuant to § 60.533(m) met the applicable emissions limits.
(b) Permanent label requirements for adjustable burn rate wood heaters and pellet stoves. If an adjustable burn rate wood heater or pellet stove belongs to a model line certified under § 60.533, and no wood heater in the model line has been found to exceed the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, one of the following statements, as appropriate, must appear on the permanent label:
(c) Permanent label requirements for single burn rate wood heaters. If the single burn rate wood heater belongs to a model line certified under § 60.533, and no heater in the model line has been found to exceed the applicable emission limits or tolerances through quality assurance testing, one of the following statements, as appropriate, must appear on the permanent label:
(d) Additional permanent label content. The permanent label for all certified wood heaters must also contain the following statement:
(e) Permanent label requirements for affected wood heaters with exemptions under § 60.530(b). (1) If an affected wood heater is manufactured in the United States for export as provided in § 60.530(b)(1), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(2) If an affected wood heater is manufactured for use for research and development purposes as provided in § 60.530(b)(2), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(3) If a wood heater is exclusively a non-wood-burning heater as provided § 60.530(b)(3), the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(4) If an affected wood heater is a cook stove that meets the definition in § 60.531, the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(5) If an affected wood heater is a camp stove that meets the definition in § 60.531, the following statement must appear on the permanent label:
(f) Temporary label (hangtag) voluntary option. (1) Each model certified to meet the 2020 particulate matter emission standards of § 60.532(b) prior May 15, 2020 may display the temporary labels (hangtags) specified in section 3 of appendix I of this part. The electronic template will be provided by the Administrator upon approval of the certification.
(2) The hangtags in paragraph (f)(1) of this section end on May 15, 2020.
(3) Each model certified to meet the 2020 Cord Wood Alternative Compliance Option of § 60.532(c) may display the cord wood temporary label specified in section 3 of appendix I of this part. The electronic template will be provided by the Administrator upon approval of the certification.
(g) Owner's manual requirements. (1) Each affected wood heater offered for sale by a commercial owner must be accompanied by an owner's manual that must contain the information listed in paragraph (g)(2) of this section (pertaining to installation) and paragraph (g)(3) of this section (pertaining to operation and maintenance). Such information must be adequate to enable consumers to achieve optimal emissions performance. Such information must be consistent with the operating instructions provided by the manufacturer to the approved test laboratory for operating the wood heater during certification testing, except for details of the certification test that would not be relevant to the user. The commercial owner must also make current and historical owner's manuals available on the company Web site and upon request to the EPA.
(2) Guidance on proper installation, include stack height, location and achieving proper draft.
(3) Proper operation and maintenance information, including minimizing visible emissions:
(i) Fuel loading and re-loading procedures; recommendations on fuel selection and warnings on what fuels not to use, such as unseasoned wood, treated wood, colored paper, cardboard, solvents, trash and garbage;
(ii) Fire starting procedures;
(iii) Proper use of air controls, including how to establish good combustion and how to ensure good combustion at the lowest burn rate for which the heater is warranted;
(iv) Ash removal procedures;
(v) Instructions for replacement of gaskets, air tubes and other parts that are critical to the emissions performance of the unit, and other maintenance and repair instructions;
(vi) For catalytic or hybrid models, information on the following pertaining to the catalytic combustor: Procedures for achieving and maintaining catalyst activity, maintenance procedures, procedures for determining deterioration or failure, procedures for replacement and information on how to exercise warranty rights;
(vii) For catalytic or hybrid models, the following statement—
(viii) For noncatalytic models, the following statement—
(4) Any manufacturer using the EPA-recommended language contained in appendix I of this part to satisfy any requirement of this paragraph (g) will be considered to be in compliance with that requirement, provided that the particular language is printed in full, with only such changes as are necessary to ensure accuracy for the particular wood heater model line.
(h) Wood heaters that are affected by this subpart, but that have been owned and operated by a noncommercial owner, are not subject to paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section when offered for resale.
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2015 particulate emission standards. Not approved for sale after May 15, 2020.” or
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards using crib wood.” or
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards using cord wood.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2015 particulate emission standards for single burn rate heaters. Not approved for sale after May 15, 2020. This single burn rate wood heater is not approved for use with a flue damper.” or
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Certified to comply with 2020 particulate emission standards for single burn rate heaters. This single burn rate wood heater is not approved for use with a flue damper.”
“This wood heater needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. Consult the owner's manual for further information. It is against federal regulations to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with the operating instructions in the owner's manual.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Export stove. May not be sold or operated within the United States.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Not certified. Research Stove. Not approved for sale or for operation other than for research.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This heater is not certified for wood burning. Use of any wood fuel is a violation of federal regulations.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This unit is not a certified residential wood heater. The primary use for this unit is for cooking or baking.”
“U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY This unit is not a certified residential wood heater. For portable and temporary use only.”
“This wood heater contains a catalytic combustor, which needs periodic inspection and replacement for proper operation. It is against federal regulations to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic element is deactivated or removed.”
“This wood heater needs periodic inspection and repair for proper operation. It is against federal regulations to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual.”
Source: ecfr_bulkFetched: 7/26/2026
Source: eCFR APIURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-40.xml?part=60Fetched: 5/31/2026