North Dakota: 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 recordND LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see North Dakota chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified more recently than this matrix.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in North Dakota?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- Generic money-gate only — the statewide Contractor License (Class A-D at >$4,000/job, ch. 43-07: no exam, COI on file, WSI standing, per Pass 1/4) is the ONLY credential touching a stove/insert install, and it is trade-blind (the same license covers sweeps, roofers, and gas work); below $4,000 nothing at any level; no mechanical/HVAC/solid-fuel credential exists in the state; CODE: the State Building Code adopts the I-Codes (2021 editions, per Pass 1) but adoption/enforcement is local opt-in — the listing rule is enforced only where cities run permit programs; CITY LAYER: Fargo (Journeyman/Master Fuel Gas + mechanical licenses and permits), Bismarck (HVAC Journeyman/Master + permits) — flagged, not exhausted
- Issuing body
- ND Secretary of State (FirstStop contractor licensing); local building departments
- Statute
- N.D.C.C. ch. 43-07 (§§ 43-07-02 licensure duty, 43-07-04 application, 43-07-07 classes); State Building Code with opt-in local enforcement (per Pass 1)
- Dollar threshold
- $4,000 (whole-project)
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — Fargo/Bismarck mechanical permit + license regimes
- Confidence
- medium (code-layer detail merged from Pass 1) · checked 2026-07-22
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in North Dakota?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Contractor License Class A–D (generic money-gate registration — NOT gas-specific; no state gas-fitter, mechanical, or HVAC credential exists; N.D.C.C. § 43-18-01(5) plumbing definition covers water/waste piping only, so gas fitting is OUTSIDE the Plumbing Board's scope; fuel gas work statewide needs only this general license and only when the job exceeds $4,000)
- Issuing body
- North Dakota Secretary of State (registrar), FirstStop portal
- Statute
- N.D.C.C. ch. 43-07 (§§ 43-07-02 license required; 43-07-04 application; 43-07-07 classes); N.D.C.C. § 43-18-01(5) (gas excluded from plumbing); N.D.C.C. ch. 18-09 (LP = Fire Marshal standards only, no license)
- Dollar threshold
- $4,000 per job (below it: zero state credential for any gas-fireplace work)
- Exam
- none
- Local overlay
- YES — Fargo: Journeyman/Master Fuel Gas + mechanical licenses (city Inspections Dept, exam + 3 yrs experience); Bismarck: HVAC Journeyman/Master mechanical license (Building Inspections Div) + gas-piping permits w/ 20 psi air test; rural counties often no enforcement at all
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
What insurance does North Dakota require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license
- Liability minimum
- REQUIRED but NO minimum amount in statute or on SoS page — N.D.C.C. § 43-07-04(1): 'A copy of a certificate of liability insurance must be filed with the application'; renewal § 43-07-10(1) requires COI 'naming the registrar as the certificate holder unless the registrar has a current valid certificate of insurance on file'; COI must name ND Secretary of State, 600 E Boulevard Ave Dept 108, Bismarck ND 58505 as certificate holder — a state-held COI, stronger than mere attestation: § 43-07-04(3)(a) makes failure to MAINTAIN coverage grounds for 'not in good standing' → revocation. Plumbing Board (ch. 43-18, full text read): NO insurance or bond requirement for plumbers. LP program (ch. 18-09): NO insurance provision.
- Bond
- NONE — § 43-07-11 'Contractor's bond' REPEALED by S.L. 1995 ch. 397 § 9 (verified on ndlegis PDF). DEBUNK: surety-bond SEO pages (e.g. suretybonds.com 'North Dakota Contractor License Bonds') and the project's own rights file imply a license bond — no license bond has existed since 1995. Only bid/performance bonds on public contracts survive.
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no guaranty/recovery fund anywhere in ch. 43-07; nearest substitute is § 43-07-15 registrar-ordered restitution capped at $5,000 + civil penalty ≤ $1,000 after a complaint proceeding — an order against the contractor, not a fund that pays consumers.
- Workers' comp threshold
- ALL employers, ALL employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal, occasional), BEFORE work begins, limited exceptions — WSI is the exclusive monopoly provider, private WC insurance unlawful (N.D.C.C. Title 65; § 65-04-33 uninsured: retro premium + claim costs + $10,000 penalty + $100/day cease-and-desist; GC using a barred sub: $5,000 + $100/day per § 65-04-27.2). Sole proprietor with no employees: NOT required, may buy elective coverage. Independent-contractor trap: § 65-01-03(1) presumes anyone paid for services is an EMPLOYEE unless the common-law IC test is proven.
- How to verify
- THREE lookups: (1) contractor license incl. insurance good-standing — https://firststop.sos.nd.gov/search/contractor; (2) WC — WSI public Employer Search tool (search by business name or FEIN, shows active account in good standing) via workforcesafety.com >> Employers, FAQs at https://www.workforcesafety.com/employers/employer-search-faqs; (3) statutory license↔WC weld: § 43-07-04(1) requires 'a statement from North Dakota workforce safety and insurance that the contractor has secured…coverage satisfactory to' WSI at application (in practice: WSI Certificate of Premium Payment if ND employees, Letter of Good Standing if none) and § 43-07-10(1) renewal certification that all WSI premiums are paid.
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states
Before anyone goes on your roof
What should you ask a chimney company in North Dakota?
- 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.