Chimney.Services

Oregon: 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 recordOR LAW

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

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

#stove-installLICENSE
Credential
No trade credential — any CCB-licensed contractor + mechanical permit (ORSC 2023, 2021 IRC base, eff. 10/1/2023). THE NATION'S STRONGEST EPA-STOVE INSTALL REGIME rides on top: ORS 468A.465 bans sale of new uncertified devices (DEQ certification program); ORS 468A.495 orders the STATE BUILDING CODE to 'prohibit installations of used solid fuel burning devices' unless EPA- or DEQ-certified-as-new — the install ban is code-integrated, so the permit system itself enforces it; ORS 468A.500 bans sale of noncertified used devices; ORS 468A.505 requires REMOVAL AND DESTRUCTION of uncertified devices at home sale (seller's duty unless buyer accepts in writing; 30 days post-closing; written confirmation to DEQ; exempt: masonry heaters, masonry fireplaces, central wood-fired furnaces per § 468A.485(4)(b)). NFI voluntary
Issuing body
Oregon CCB (license); BCD/local building depts (mechanical permits); DEQ (device certification + removal confirmations, Heat Smart program)
Statute
ORS 468A.460–468A.515 (esp. .465, .495, .500, .505); ORS 701.010 ($1,000 casual exemption)
Dollar threshold
$1,000 casual-work exemption (ORS 701.010); permit work licensed regardless
Exam
y — CCB business-practices exam only, no trade exam
Local overlay
n — statewide code + statewide DEQ regime; local air (LRAPA/Medford) adds curtailment only
Confidence
high · checked 2026-07-22
Sources
REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_468a.495REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_468a.505REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_468a.465GOVoregon.gov/deq/Residential/Pages/woods…GOVoregon.gov/bcd/codes-stand/pages/resid…

Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Oregon?

#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE
Credential
CCB contractor license only — Oregon issues NO individual mechanical/gas-fitter license, so NG gas-fireplace service / log install / appliance connection = any CCB-licensed contractor pulling a mechanical permit (ORSC/IFGC); plumbing license (ORS 693) does NOT cover fuel-gas appliance work; BCD 'Limited Maintenance Specialty Contractor' business license fits service-only HVAC/hearth shops (employees unlicensed, roster filed with BCD); LP SPLIT IS SHARP: ALL LP-gas work requires State Fire Marshal LPG licenses — installation license (business) + fitter's license (individual: appliance connection, piping, venting) under ORS 480.432; no chimney-named class (absence verified in CCB/BCD lists)
Issuing body
Oregon CCB (contracting layer); BCD (permits/LMS); State Fire Marshal (LP)
Statute
ORS 701.021/.010 (license duty/exemptions); ORS 480.432, 480.450 (LPG); ORS 693 (plumbing — fuel gas absent)
Dollar threshold
$1,000 casual/minor-work exemption (ORS 701.010; void if advertising as a contractor)
Exam
y (CCB 16-hr pre-license training + law exam; SFM LPG fitter exam; NO NG trade exam)
Local overlay
n (Portland city gas license not found — UNVERIFIED)
Confidence
high · checked 2026-07-10
Sources
GOVoregon.gov/bcd/lbdd/pages/oregon-permi…GOVoregon.gov/osfm/industry/pages/lpglice…REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.010GOVoregon.gov/bcd/minlab/Documents/ml-lms…

Gas log installation: is a credential required in Oregon?

#gas-log-installLICENSE
Credential
LP lane tracked separately: a propane log-set/appliance connection requires an individual SFM LPG fitter's license + business LPG installation license (ORS 480.432), with each tank install reported to SFM + $50 fee (ORS 480.450) — while the identical natural-gas job requires NO individual credential (CCB + mechanical permit only); the mismatch axis in Oregon is fuel type, not trade
Issuing body
Oregon State Fire Marshal (LPG program)
Statute
ORS 480.432, 480.450
Dollar threshold
none ($0 — all LP work)
Exam
y (LPG fitter exam)
Local overlay
n
Confidence
high · checked 2026-07-10
Sources
GOVoregon.gov/osfm/industry/pages/lpglice…REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_480.450

What insurance does Oregon require of contractors?

#insurance
Regime
license (CCB, ORS 701, casual work > $1,000; BCD trade layer; SFM LP layer)
Liability minimum
per-occurrence GL tiered by endorsement (CCB Endorsement Chart 11/2024): Residential General $500,000 / Residential Specialty $300,000 / Residential Limited $100,000 / Residential Developer $500,000 / Commercial General L1 $2M agg / L2 $1M agg / Commercial Specialty L1 $1M agg / L2 $500,000 — COI filed with CCB and CCB named certificate holder = STATE-VERIFIED
Bond
surety bond tiered by endorsement (ORS 701.068/.081; current post-HB 2922 amounts): Residential General $25,000 / Residential Specialty $20,000 / Residential Limited $15,000 / Commercial General L1 $80,000 / L2 $25,000 / Commercial Specialty L1 $55,000 / L2 $25,000; dual-endorsement firms carry TWO bonds; claim path: CCB complaint + court judgment or arbitration award, then the surety must pay up to the bond (ORS 701.145–.150) — no judgment, no bond recovery; older $10k/$20k/$75k figures circulating are STALE (debunk)
Guaranty fund
NONE — no recovery/guaranty fund in ORS 701 (absence verified); the bond routed through the CCB complaint process is the sole instrument
Workers' comp threshold
1 subject worker (ORS 656.017; nonsubject workers at ORS 656.027 — sole props, partners, certain corporate officers/LLC members); ARTIFACT: every CCB license is issued as 'EXEMPT' (no employees) or 'NONEXEMPT' (must carry WC as a license condition — ORS 701.035; OAR 812-003-0250), so WC posture is printed in the license registry itself
How to verify
CCB lookup shows endorsement class, bond, insurance, exempt/nonexempt WC class, and complaint history (AUTOMATED); Oregon WCD proof-of-coverage search www4.cbs.state.or.us/exs/wcd/cov/ (state-run, not NCCI); SFM LPG license roster for the LP lane
Confidence
high · checked 2026-07-10
Sources
GOVoregon.gov/ccb/Documents/Endorsement%2…REForegon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.150REForegon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0250GOVwcd.oregon.gov/employer/coverage/Pages/pro…

Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states

Before anyone goes on your roof

What should you ask a chimney company in Oregon?

  1. Is your company a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)?
  2. Does the technician coming to my home hold an individual NCSG certification, and which one?
  3. Does the technician hold a National Fireplace Institute (NFI) certification — and for which fuel: wood, gas, or pellet?
  4. What other certifications does the technician hold (for example, CSIA), and can I check them on the issuer's own roster?
  5. What state or local license or registration covers this work here, and what is the number?
  6. Will you send a certificate of insurance, dated and naming your company, before work starts?
  7. Which NFPA 211 inspection level — Level 1, 2, or 3 — are you performing, and why that level?
  8. 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.