LOCKPORT — A law that would ban the use of outdoor furnaces to heat homes in crowded residential areas is being considered by the Town Board.

A draft of the law, suggested by Building Inspector Brian M. Belson, was presented to the board last week.

Councilman Mark C. Crocker said he would be willing to sponsor it at the Aug. 5 board meeting. That would trigger the scheduling of a public hearing, probably Sept. 2.

Belson said the measure would bar outdoor furnaces in R-1 and R-2 zones— one-and two-family residential areas — if the burner is within 100 feet of another house.

The ban would not apply to agricultural zones.

The law would cover all outdoor furnaces regardless of what they burn.

Wood is the most common fuel, but other combustibles are sometimes used.

Town Attorney Daniel E. Seaman said, “I’m not recommending you regulate what is burned. It would be an enforcement impossibility.”

Belson said the town code already requires a permit for the outdoor burners.

“There’s not a lot right now, but they’re becoming more popular,” Belson said.

“The issue with those is, they give off tremendous amounts of smoke. They don’t usually have high stacks.”

In more heavily populated areas, an outdoor furnace could be 30 to 40 feet from a neighbor’s house, although Belson said the law wasn’t triggered by any complaints his office has received.

Smoke can also bother the user.

“There’s a guy on Old Dysinger Road. When he fires it up, his own house is engulfed,” Belson said.