Gas stoves are not being banned in the United States. No federal law or regulation prohibits Americans from buying, using, or keeping a gas stove, and none is currently proposed. What exists instead is a mix of federal efficiency standards that most gas stoves already meet, a handful of state and local building codes that restrict gas hookups in new construction, and a long list of court fights and political battles over whether those local rules can stand. Nothing on the books requires you to replace a working gas stove.
Where the Ban Rumor Came From
The idea of a federal gas stove ban traces to a single interview. On January 9, 2023, Consumer Product Safety Commission member Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg News that gas stoves are a “hidden hazard” and that “products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”1NBC News. Gas Stove Ban Proposal: When and Why Within two days, CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric put out a statement saying, “I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”2Morrison Foerster. Is a Federal Gas Stove Ban in the Works? CPSC Says No Trumka himself clarified that any regulation would apply only to new products, not stoves already in homes. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, “The president does not support banning gas stoves.”3NBC News. White House Says Biden Doesn’t Support Banning Gas Stoves
Any remaining chance of CPSC action has since disappeared. In May 2025, President Trump fired the three Democratic commissioners, including Trumka. The commission now has just two Republican members.4KOSU. Trump Fires All 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission The Supreme Court issued a stay effectively upholding the firings while litigation continues.5Stinson. Challenges in the CPSC: What Has Happened and What Comes Next As Trumka put it, “I don’t think you’re going to see any safety standards coming out of this agency” with only two commissioners.
Federal Efficiency Standards Are Not a Ban
Separately from anything the CPSC did or didn’t do, the Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential cooking products in January 2024. The rules cap energy use on gas cooktops sold after a compliance deadline of January 31, 2028.6Federal Register. Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products
The rule does not ban gas stoves. According to DOE, roughly 97% of gas stove models already on the market meet the new standard, so most manufacturers do not need to change their products. DOE projected consumer savings of $1.6 billion on utility bills over 30 years.7U.S. Department of Energy. DOE Finalizes Cost-Saving Efficiency Standards for New Cooking Products The American Gas Association opposed the rule, arguing the testing method was flawed and that it would eliminate roughly half of existing gas cooktop models.8U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Statement of AGA, House Oversight Hearing
Under the Trump administration, DOE is now moving in the other direction, proposing to eliminate or weaken 47 energy efficiency regulations, including reverting oven standards to 1987 levels. Those proposals must go through notice-and-comment rulemaking and face legal hurdles, because federal law contains an “anti-backsliding provision” designed to stop existing efficiency standards from being weakened.9Utility Dive. Trump DOE Faces Steeper Climb in Latest Regulatory Rollback
Which States and Cities Have Actually Restricted Gas
A small number of state and local governments have adopted building codes that limit or prohibit natural gas hookups in new buildings. These rules apply only to construction that has not yet happened. They do not require anyone to replace an existing gas stove, and they do not stop a homeowner from repairing or replacing a stove in a home that already has gas service.
New York
New York passed the All-Electric Buildings Act in 2023. It was scheduled to require most new buildings of seven stories or fewer to use only electric appliances starting in January 2026, expanding to all new construction in January 2029. Restaurants, hospitals, factories, and agricultural buildings are exempt but must limit fossil fuel use “to the fullest extent feasible.”10Phillips Lytle. Ban on Fossil Fuel Equipment in Certain New Buildings
The law is currently on hold. In November 2025, the Hochul administration agreed to delay it while a federal legal challenge proceeds.11New York Post. Hochul Postpones Gas Stove Ban for New Homes A federal district judge declined to block the law in July 2025, and the case is now before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard argument in January 2026.12K&L Gates. Heat Check: Federal Courts Weigh In on Natural Gas Appliance Restrictions New York City has a parallel law, Local Law 154, restricting fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings. A federal district court upheld it in March 2025, and it is on appeal at the Second Circuit as well.13K&L Gates. Natural Gas Bans From New York to Washington
Berkeley, California
Berkeley was the first U.S. city to ban natural gas piping in new buildings, in 2019. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck it down in April 2023, holding that federal energy law preempts local codes that effectively block gas appliance use.14Justia. California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley Berkeley later settled with the California Restaurant Association and agreed to stop enforcing the ordinance and begin repealing it.15California Restaurant Association. CRA and Berkeley Settle Gas Ban Lawsuit The ruling left similar laws in dozens of other California cities on shaky legal ground.16Berkeleyside. Berkeley Gas Stove Ban Ruling
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland passed an ordinance in December 2022 requiring all-electric systems in most new construction, with deadlines of December 31, 2026 for most buildings and December 31, 2027 for income-restricted housing and schools.17ASPE. Maryland’s Largest County Votes to Ban Gas Appliances in Most New Buildings A federal court upheld the law in March 2026, finding it does not regulate “energy use” under federal preemption law. The plaintiffs, including the National Association of Home Builders and Washington Gas, filed a notice of appeal in April 2026.18Earthjustice. Court Upholds Montgomery County’s All-Electric Building Code
California Air Districts
California’s regional air quality agencies have focused on water heaters and furnaces, not stoves. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopted zero-emission standards in 2023 for water heaters (effective 2027) and furnaces (effective 2029) and is developing flexibility amendments.19BAAQMD. Building Appliances Rule Development In June 2025, the South Coast Air Quality Management District rejected proposed rules that would have phased out gas water heaters and furnaces in the Los Angeles basin, after the U.S. Department of Justice warned it would sue.20CalMatters. Gas Water Heaters, Furnaces Phaseout: LA Basin AQMD Rules The California Air Resources Board is studying a statewide rule for space and water heaters but has not proposed one for cooking appliances.21CARB. Clean Space and Water Heater Standards FAQ
The Court Fight That Could Change the Map
Whether these local rules survive turns on one legal question: does the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, the 1975 federal law setting appliance efficiency standards, preempt state and local rules that restrict natural gas hookups? The Ninth Circuit said yes in the Berkeley case. Federal courts in New York and Maryland have said no, drawing a distinction between regulating the fuel a building can use and regulating an appliance’s energy efficiency.13K&L Gates. Natural Gas Bans From New York to Washington
If the Second Circuit upholds the New York laws, that creates a direct split with the Ninth Circuit, the kind of conflict the Supreme Court often steps in to resolve. Arguments in both New York cases were heard in January 2026 and decisions are pending.12K&L Gates. Heat Check: Federal Courts Weigh In on Natural Gas Appliance Restrictions
Laws Going the Other Way
Most states have moved to protect gas, not restrict it. As of 2025, 27 states have passed preemption laws barring local governments from banning natural gas hookups.22NAHB. Gas Bans and Housing Affordability The first was introduced in Arizona in January 2020; the wave peaked in 2021, when 16 states adopted preemption laws over a five-month stretch.23Nature. Natural Gas Preemption Laws
Washington voters passed Initiative 2066 in 2024 to protect gas access, but a King County Superior Court judge struck it down in March 2025 for violating the state constitution’s single-subject rule. The Washington Supreme Court heard argument in January 2026.24Washington State Standard. Legal Fight Over Natural Gas Initiative at WA Supreme Court In Congress, the Save Our Gas Stoves Act was introduced in 2023 but did not advance out of committee.25Congress.gov. S.1859 – Save Our Gas Stoves Act Representative Nick Langworthy introduced the Energy Choice Act in June 2025 to bar any state or local ban on energy connections based on fuel type; it had 39 original House cosponsors but no committee vote at introduction.26Office of Congressman Nick Langworthy. Congressman Nick Langworthy Introduces Energy Choice Act
If You Want to Switch to Electric
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 authorized rebates of up to $840 for households buying an electric or induction stove to replace a gas model, administered through state programs and part of roughly $8.8 billion in home energy rebate funding.27U.S. Department of Energy. Home Upgrades
That path has narrowed. In late May 2026, the Department of Energy issued guidance blocking states from using IRA rebate funds to replace gas appliances with electric ones, including stoves, dryers, heat pumps, and water heaters.28New York Times. Energy Rebates Home Appliances Environmental groups and some state officials have said the change “runs afoul of the law,” arguing Congress intended the program to help households move off gas.29E&E News. DOE Blocks Gas-to-Electric Switch in $8B Home Rebate Program Check with your state energy office for the current status of rebates where you live before you buy.