Indiana: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?

Checked Jul 2026·Laws as cited·Not in the Sep 2026 verification pass

Public recordIN LAW

For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Indiana chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified more recently than this matrix.

Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Indiana?

Credential: No state credential — Indiana licenses only plumbers statewide (IC 25-28.5); no HVAC/mechanical/solid-fuel/GC license and no State Fire Marshal installer credential; code: 2020 Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC 14-4.4) = 2018 IRC first printing + IN amendments, eff. 12/26/2019, READOPTED unchanged 2025 (LSA #24-566 sunset readoption) — still current 7/2026; code applies uniformly statewide (home-rule weakening barred) with local permit enforcement; IRC chs. 10/14/18 carry the listing/manufacturer-instruction rules (UL 737/UL 1482/UL 103 HT); consumer layer: HICA written-contract duty for home-improvement contracts >$150 (IC 24-5-11) — virtually every stove install triggers it; NFI/CSIA voluntary
Issuing body: n/a statewide; Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission (code content); local building departments (permits)
Statute: 675 IAC 14-4.4; IC 25-28.5-1-2 (plumbing only); IC 24-5-11 ('contract price exceeds one hundred fifty dollars')
Dollar threshold: $150 (HICA written-contract duty only)
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — Indianapolis/Marion County BNS licenses heating & cooling contractors (exam) + permits
Confidence: high; medium (2025 readoption characterization — register page JS-walled) · checked 2026-07-10
Sources: REFcodes.iccsafe.org/content/INRC2020P1REFlaw.cornell.edu/regulations/indiana/675-IAC…REFlaw.justia.com/codes/indiana/2012/title24/…GOVin.gov/dhs/fire-and-building-safet…

Credential: No state credential reaches gas-fireplace work — the state licenses ONLY plumbers, and the statutory 'plumbing' definition (IC 25-28.5-1-2) covers sanitary/storm drainage, venting systems, and water supply — fuel gas is NOT in it (SEO-site claims that IN plumbing licenses cover 'gas piping' contradict the statute); gas trade licensing is entirely local (Indianapolis/Marion County BNS licenses HVAC contractors); LP gas: containers/equipment regulated under IC 22-11-15 + Indiana Fire Code (675 IAC) via Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission — a facility/equipment regime, no individual installer license found (dealer registration detail UNVERIFIED); consumer layer = HICA written contract > $150 (IC 24-5-11)
Issuing body: n/a statewide; Indianapolis Dept. of Business & Neighborhood Services and other city registries locally; IN DHS / State Fire Marshal (LP containers)
Statute: IC 25-28.5-1-2 (plumbing definition — gas absent); IC 22-11-15 (LP gas containers); IC 24-5-11 (HICA contract duty)
Dollar threshold: $150 (HICA written-contract duty only)
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — Indianapolis/Marion County licenses HVAC contractors; Fort Wayne/Evansville registration (per rights research, city detail unconfirmed)
Confidence: high (state absence); medium (LP detail) · checked 2026-07-10
Sources: REFlaw.justia.com/codes/indiana/title-25/arti…REFlaw.justia.com/codes/indiana/2013/title-22…GOVindy.gov/activity/contractor-licenses

Regime: none statewide (no state credential for chimney or gas work; HICA written-contract duty > $150 only)
Liability minimum: NONE — no statewide credential exists to attach insurance to; HICA (IC 24-5-11) imposes contract contents, not insurance; Indianapolis/Marion County local contractor licensing carries local bond/insurance conditions (amounts not pulled — LOCAL, UNVERIFIED)
Bond: none at state level
Guaranty fund: none — no guaranty/recovery fund
Workers' comp threshold: 1 employee triggers (IC 22-3; no minimum threshold); sole proprietors/partners/LLC members automatically excluded, may elect in; TRAP-turned-artifact: an independent contractor in the CONSTRUCTION TRADES who does not elect coverage must file a Worker's Compensation Clearance Certificate (form WCE-1) with the Dept. of Revenue, ~$20, renewed annually — a checkable exemption artifact like NY's CE-200
How to verify: insurance: nothing to verify statewide; WC: IN WCB compliance tools + ICRB proof-of-coverage; clearance certificate on file (DESK artifact for solo operators)
Confidence: high (absences + WC); medium (Indianapolis local amounts) · checked 2026-07-10
Sources: GOVin.gov/wcb/complianceREFicrb.net/references/excluded-workersGOVforms.in.gov/download.aspxREFlaw.justia.com/codes/indiana/title-25/arti…

Before anyone goes on your roof

Is your company a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)?
Does the technician coming to my home hold an individual NCSG certification, and which one?
Does the technician hold a National Fireplace Institute (NFI) certification — and for which fuel: wood, gas, or pellet?
What other certifications does the technician hold (for example, CSIA), and can I check them on the issuer's own roster?
What state or local license or registration covers this work here, and what is the number?
Will you send a certificate of insurance, dated and naming your company, before work starts?
Which NFPA 211 inspection level — Level 1, 2, or 3 — are you performing, and why that level?
Will you show me what you found — photos or video of the flue — in writing?

We take no fee from any certification body, guild, or contractor, and are not paid to mention anyone named.