New Jersey: 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 recordNJ LAW

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

Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in New Jersey?

Credential: Master Hearth Specialist — 'hearth professional work' expressly covers wood/pellet/solid-fuel fireplaces, inserts, and stoves plus masonry/metal/factory-built chimney systems (C.45:16A-2 definition); entity-level duty at C.45:16A-35 (4th-degree crime); carve-out at C.45:16A-36 lets HIC-registered chimney service professionals act within their own scope; homeowner exempt (C.45:16A-41); NFI Master Hearth Professional cert is the statutory prerequisite — NFI is REFERENCED IN LAW, not voluntary; UCC (N.J.A.C. 5:23) permit — 2021 IRC NJ ed. adopted 9/6/2022
Issuing body: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — HVACR Board, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee; NJ DCA Division of Codes (UCC permits)
Statute: N.J.S.A. 45:16A-2, 45:16A-33 (gas piping duty), 45:16A-35 (hearth-work contracting), 45:16A-36 (carve-out), 45:16A-41 (homeowner); N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7; N.J.A.C. 5:23
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: y (NFI MHP certification + 5 yrs experience)
Local overlay: n
Confidence: high · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: GOVpub.njleg.gov/bills/2018/PL19/260_.HTMREFlaw.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-45/s…GOVnj.gov/dca/codes/codreg/current.sh…

Credential: Master Hearth Specialist (dedicated hearth-gas license; general gas appliance connections = Master HVACR Contractor or Master Plumber)
Issuing body: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee
Statute: N.J.S.A. 45:16A-33 (P.L.2019, c.260); N.J.S.A. 45:16A-1 et seq. (HVACR, P.L.2007, c.211); N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7.3
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: y (NFI Master Hearth Professional certification prerequisite + 5 yrs experience)
Local overlay: n
Confidence: high · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: REFlaw.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-45/s…REFlaw.cornell.edu/regulations/new-jersey/N-J-…GOVbusiness.nj.gov/license/master-hearth-speci…

Credential: Master Hearth Specialist (gas logs = hearth product/decorative appliance gas piping — same dedicated license)
Issuing body: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — HVACR Board, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee
Statute: N.J.S.A. 45:16A-33 (P.L.2019, c.260)
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: y (NFI certification prerequisite)
Local overlay: n
Confidence: high · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: REFlaw.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-45/s…

Regime: registration (DCA HIC; N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq.; licensing phasing in ~2027)
Liability minimum: $500,000 CGL per occurrence (N.J.S.A. 56:8-142(a)); home-elevation adds $1M cargo coverage (142(c))
Bond: compliance bond tiered by volume (56:8-142(e)-(f)): $10k (<$10k contract or <$150k/yr) / $25k ($10k-$120k or $150k-$750k/yr) / $50k (>$120k or >=$750k/yr); pays DCA penalties NOT consumer claims (142(h)-(i)); in force since ~Apr 2025 (P.L.2023 c.237)
Guaranty fund: none for home improvement (New Home Warranty fund = new construction only)
Workers' comp threshold: 1 employee (anyone paid, excluding principal owner/partners/LLC members) triggers; sole prop exempt for self
How to verify: insurance STATE-VERIFIED (COI filed with DCA director; replacement certificate due within 10 days of cancellation, 56:8-142(b)); WC lookup: NJCRIB Proof of Coverage search
Confidence: high (amounts+statute); medium (bond effective date) · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: REFlaw.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-56/s…GOVnj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/e…REFnjcrib.com/PolicyCoverage/Search

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.