Can you bring firewood across state lines or into a campground?

Only if it is certified heat-treated and labelled, in a growing list of states. Washington banned untreated firewood from other states on 18 August 2026. Michigan bans it from 1 January 2027. The federal emerald ash borer quarantine that older pages still cite ended on 14 January 2021. Campgrounds set rules of their own on top, and some refuse any wood brought from outside.

What counts as firewood, and what "certified heat-treated" means#

Firewood, in Washington's new rule, is wood of any species, "cut or not cut, split or not split, regardless of length", that is sized for fuel or meant to be burned. So a log from your yard counts the same as a shop bundle. Kiln-dried dimensional lumber does not count. Neither do chips under 1 inch (2.5 cm) in two dimensions. Michigan uses the same two exclusions.

A firewood quarantine is a state rule that stops firewood crossing a line unless it meets a set treatment. The line can be a state border, a county edge or a set distance.

Certified heat-treated firewood has been heated in a kiln that an agriculture agency has inspected and tested. The wood must hold a set temperature at its core, the centre of the wood rather than the air in the kiln, for a set number of minutes. Then the bundle carries a seal or label from that agency or from USDA. That is the only kind of wood most of these rules let through.

Kiln-dried is a different thing. A kiln can dry wood to burn better without ever getting the core hot enough, or long enough, to kill insects. The Great Smoky Mountains firewood page puts it plainly: kiln dried is "a similar term but there are no time/temperature standards for the term."

What changed between 2021 and 2027#

Most pages you will find were written before two of these dates.

The federal change took a rule away. It did not clear firewood to travel. APHIS still says to "buy only local firewood or certified heat-treated firewood". The 2026 and 2027 changes go the other way: they are state bans that cover every other state, not just those with a known pest.

The rules by state and park in one table#

Washington's rule does not care whether your home state has any pest. "No person shall transport, by any means, untreated firewood into the state of Washington, for sale or use within the state, from any location outside of the state." Wood cut in Washington and staying there is outside the rule. So are pellets and compressed wood bricks.

Why "it's federal law" and "kiln-dried is fine" both circulate#

"It's a federal crime to move firewood across state lines." Pages that say this lean on APHIS's domestic emerald ash borer quarantine. APHIS removed it, effective 14 January 2021, so any page citing it is out of date. Today the law that stops you at a state line is state law. The federal advice to buy local or certified wood remains, but it is advice.

"Kiln-dried is the same as heat-treated." It is not. Michigan's FAQ asks the question directly and answers "No": unless the kiln is certified and the producer can show the seal, "the firewood does not meet the requirements." Washington adds that "air drying of firewood is insufficient and is not approved". Old, seasoned wood from your shed fails for the same reason.

"Which states only take certified wood?" Michigan's FAQ lists 11: Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont. Michigan is about to be the twelfth. Lists like this go stale fast, and MDARD's own pages show it. The same FAQ puts Washington among states with only "limited" quarantines, which its August 2026 rule no longer matches. The press release says Minnesota and Wisconsin take only certified wood, while the FAQ lists both as limited. For Minnesota, the DNR's own page settles it: the entry rule covers hardwood firewood, which needs written approval. Wisconsin's rule was not checked for this page.

The heat-treatment table: one bundle, four standards#

A seal tells you that some agency approved the wood. It does not tell you which standard it met.

The two numbers that matter are 11 degrees C and 15 minutes. Washington's core temperature is 11 degrees C (20 degrees F) above Michigan's. New York's hold time is 15 minutes longer than Washington's. So the standards nest. Wood that meets New York's meets Washington's on heat and time. Wood that meets Washington's meets Michigan's on the same terms. The reverse is not true. A bundle certified to the 60 degree standard has never been shown to reach 71.

Heat and time are not the whole test. Each state also names its label. Here is how the common kinds of wood fare under the rules above:

A seal from your home state does not travel everywhere. Read the label for the temperature, or for the exact wording the state you are entering asks for.

Worked through: two trips under the new rules#

Ohio to a Michigan state park, July 2027. Suppose a family in Toledo buys two bundles at a gas station before the drive north. The bag says "kiln-dried" and shows a county of origin, but no seal. Walk it through Michigan's FAQ. The ban applies to "everyone entering the state", campers included. Kiln-dried without a certified kiln seal does not meet the rule. So the bundles are banned at the line. Because it is 2027, MDARD says the focus is education, not fines. The same trip in July 2028 brings a warning letter for a first case, and fines from $1,000 for repeats. The fix costs nothing: leave the wood at home and buy within 10 miles of the site, as MDARD advises.

Portland, Oregon, to a Washington campground, any date after 18 August 2026. Suppose a camper loads split oak from their own yard, dried in a stack for two years, and drives 15 minutes across the Columbia River. Walk it through chapter 16-476 WAC. The wood is firewood: it is sized for fuel. It comes from outside Washington. It has had no heat treatment, and air drying "is not approved". So it is untreated firewood, and bringing it in is a violation, up to $5,000 each time, with the wood liable to impound. The short distance makes no difference. Washington's rule has no mileage exemption. A bag of pellets or compressed wood bricks from the same yard sale would be fine, since the rule excludes them.

Campgrounds: the second set of rules#

A state line is the first gate. The campground is the second, and it can be stricter.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park allows only heat-treated firewood "bundled and certified by the USDA or a state agency". You may also collect dead and down wood inside the park. Wood from home is not allowed, even if you live nearby, because pests may already be there.
• Minnesota DNR land (state parks and state forests) accepts three kinds of firewood. Wood bought in that park. Wood certified by the Department of Agriculture. Non-ash wood harvested in the same county you burn it in. Keep the receipt and the bundle label. Firewood from home and pallet wood are not allowed. You may not collect wood in a state park. In a state forest, dead wood is fair game.
• New York: Gateway National Recreation Area allows no outside firewood at all, per Don't Move Firewood.
• California: national, state and some county parks ban cutting or collecting wood. Several state parks ban oak firewood.

Burn what you buy. Minnesota lets you take leftover certified wood to other DNR land, but uncertified leftovers stay in the county they came from. Wherever you are, stack it well clear of the tent; how far a tent should be from a campfire explains why a woodpile between the two shortens the gap.

Crossing into or out of Canada#

US to Canada. The CFIA counts the whole continental United States, Alaska and Washington, D.C. as a regulated area for emerald ash borer. Moving ash firewood out of a regulated area is banned, "whether for commercial or private purposes (such as taking firewood to the cottage or camping)." Other species may leave a regulated area only through facilities registered with the CFIA. Regulated items need a CFIA Movement Certificate. A bundle from a US gas station has none, so plan to buy firewood after you cross. The same goes for bear spray, as bringing bear spray into Canada explains.

Inside Canada. The same CFIA rule covers ash leaving regulated areas in parts of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Toronto and Ottawa are both inside one, so a cottage trip from either is covered.

Canada to the US. Michigan's FAQ notes that since 2008 USDA has required all firewood entering the United States from Canada to be heat treated, and that border officers check the paperwork.

What this page does not cover#

This page checks Washington, Michigan, New York, California, Minnesota, one national park and Canada's federal rule. The other states on Michigan's list of 11 were not checked one by one, nor was Wisconsin. The New York and California rows come from Don't Move Firewood summaries dated November 2025 and February 2026, not from the state texts. Many states also have county quarantines inside their borders: California bans moving firewood within most western counties, and Minnesota bans moving uncertified hardwood out of quarantined counties unless they border each other. Those county lists change, and this page does not reproduce them. Separate rules for single pests, such as Asian longhorned beetle zones on Long Island, apply on top. Selling firewood, running a kiln and commercial loads are out of scope. Above all, a state rule is a floor. The campground, park or forest you are heading to can ban outside wood entirely, so read its page the week you go.

Before you load the car: a two minute check#

1. Do you need to bring wood at all? Most campgrounds sell it, and a first camping trip is easier without it.
2. Name every line you will cross. List each state line, plus the Canadian border if any.
3. Read the destination's firewood page. Park, forest or private campground: some take only their own wood.
4. Find the seal. No state or USDA seal, no crossing into Washington, Michigan or New York.
5. Match the standard. Heading for Washington or New York, you need wood treated to 71 degrees C (160 degrees F). Look for the temperature on the label, or the exact wording each state asks for.
6. Keep the label and receipt. Minnesota's state parks ask for both, and they show where the wood came from.
7. Plan to leave leftovers. Burn it or leave it behind at the site, as MDARD advises.

Add a "firewood: buy at the site" line to your car camping checklist so it is decided before the trip.

Common mistakes#

Trusting a page that cites the federal ash borer quarantine. It ended on 14 January 2021. If a page leans on it, the rest of the page is likely out of date as well.

Treating "kiln-dried" as certified. No state text checked here accepts the word alone. Look for the agency seal.

Assuming any seal works anywhere. A 60 degree C certification meets Michigan's rule and fails Washington's as written.

Thinking a short trip is exempt. Washington and Michigan have no distance exemption for wood crossing the line. New York's 50 mile rule is for untreated wood that starts inside New York.

Bringing wood from a cabin or second home. Michigan's FAQ addresses this exact case: no, unless the wood is certified first.

Taking leftover wood home. The rules that stopped you bringing wood in apply just as much to taking it back across the line.

Frequently asked questions#

Is it illegal to transport firewood across state lines?#

It depends on the state you are entering, and more states say yes each year. Washington bans untreated firewood from every other state as of 18 August 2026. Michigan does from 1 January 2027. Michigan's FAQ names 11 more that admit only certified heat-treated wood, including New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The federal emerald ash borer quarantine ended in January 2021, so the rule at the line is the state's.

Can you bring your own firewood to a campground?#

Often not. Great Smoky Mountains National Park allows only certified heat-treated bundles or dead and down wood found in the park. Minnesota's state parks ban firewood from home and want a receipt and bundle label for anything else. Gateway National Recreation Area in New York bans all outside wood. Check the campground's own page, because its rule can be stricter than the state's.

What is certified heat-treated firewood?#

Wood heated in a kiln that a state agriculture agency or USDA has inspected and certified. The wood's core must reach a set temperature for a set time: 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) for 60 minutes for Michigan, 71 degrees C (160 degrees F) for 60 minutes for Washington, and 71 degrees C for 75 minutes for New York. The bundle carries the agency's seal or label.

Is kiln-dried firewood the same as heat-treated?#

No. Kiln-drying removes moisture so the wood burns better, but the term has no time or temperature standard, as the National Park Service notes. Michigan's FAQ says kiln-dried wood does not meet its rule unless the kiln is certified and the seal is shown. Washington says air drying is not approved. Look for a state or USDA seal, not the words on the bag.

What is the fine for bringing firewood into Washington or Michigan?#

In Washington, civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, and the state may impound the wood. In Michigan, 2027 is an education year. From 1 January 2028 a first case gets a warning letter. Repeat cases can be fined $1,000 to $10,000, or no more than $500 if the person reports the violation themselves.

Can I bring firewood from my cabin in another state?#

Not into Michigan, from 2027, unless it is heat-treated and certified before you move it. MDARD's FAQ answers this question directly. Washington's rule covers wood "from any location outside of the state", whoever owns it. Wood cut on a cabin lot and burned on that lot never crosses a line, so neither rule touches it.

Can you bring firewood into Canada from the US?#

Not ash, and other species only through CFIA-registered facilities. The CFIA treats the whole continental US, Alaska and Washington, D.C. as an emerald ash borer regulated area. It bans moving ash firewood out of a regulated area, including for camping, and regulated items need a CFIA Movement Certificate. Buy firewood after you cross.

How far can you move firewood?#

Where a distance rule exists, it is usually 50 miles (80 km). New York bans moving untreated New York firewood more than 50 miles within the state. California calls wood from within 50 miles "local", with 10 miles ideal, and MDARD advises buying within 10 miles of where you burn it. Washington and Michigan bans have no distance exemption at the state line.