Oregon: some chimney work needs a state license. Here's what that means.

Oregon BREAKS the license⇄disclosure inverse-correlation verdict head-on. The pattern says strong-license states let sellers disclose little; Oregon does the opposite — it runs a genuine CCB license (training + exam + bond, ORS 701) and a strong, statutory, unmodifiable disclosure that names the wood stove by make and certification (ORS 105.464) and a point-of-sale CO duty. High credentialing and high disclosure — a clean break, alongside states like the Illinois "license-nothing-but-disclose-the-flue" mirror at the other end. And Oregon adds the single most distinctive rule in the entire project: under DEQ Heat Smart (ORS 468A.460–468A.515; removal duty at ORS 468A.505) an uncertified wood stove must be physically removed and destroyed when the house sells, with a written removal confirmation to DEQ. Oregon regulates the hearth harder at every stage — who works on it, what the seller must reveal, and what must be ripped out before closing — than any other launch state.

Oregon is a genuine-license state. Under ORS ch. 701, anyone who works, offers, or bids on construction for pay must hold a current license from the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) — chimney masonry, relining, rebuild, and sweeping-for-hire all qualify; only jobs where the aggregate price for labor, materials and all other items is under $1,000 and the work is casual, minor or inconsequential are exempt — and not if the person advertises as a contractor (ORS 701.010(4)). Unlike Washington's exam-free registration, Oregon requires at least 16 hours of pre-license training + a passing test (80 questions, 70%), designates a Responsible Managing Individual (RMI), a surety bond (residential: general $25,000, specialty $20,000, limited $15,000 — ORS 701.081, filed under ORS 701.068), and liability insurance (residential general $500,000 per occurrence, specialty $300,000, limited $100,000 per CCB). Public lookup: search.ccb.state.or.us (oregon.gov/ccb). Working unlicensed bars suit to collect and draws civil penalties. ("License" here is real, but note the test is trade/business law, not flue diagnosis — see §2.)

Oregon's CCB test is real but tests Oregon construction law, contracts, and business practices — not masonry or flue competence. A licensed contractor may never have inspected a chimney. So even in a genuine-license state the competence gap survives: "CCB-licensed and bonded" verifies training-hours + a law exam + a bond, not the ability to diagnose your flue. Individual certs (NCSG CCP/CCR; CSIA CCS, C-DET) remain the competence signal.

ORS 105.464 sets a statutory Seller's Property Disclosure Statement the seller must deliver for most residential sales. The form is actual-knowledge, not a warranty, and cannot be modified (it's statutory). It names the hearth directly: it asks "Is there a woodstove or fireplace insert included in the sale?" and, if yes, the make, whether a permit was obtained, and whether the unit is EPA or DEQ-certified — a more explicit chimney/stove line than most states. The buyer has a 5-business-day right to revoke after delivery (ORS 105.465) unless waived at or before the sale agreement. Sellers may "disclaim" only via the statutory revocation/waiver mechanics — the form itself can't be watered down. No inspection is mandated at transfer; NFPA 211 Level 2 stays a NATIONAL STANDARD.

The Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act (UTPA), ORS 646.605–646.652, gives a private action (ORS 646.638) and AG enforcement for deceptive practices. Door-to-door / in-person-solicited deals are governed by the Home Solicitation Sales Act, ORS 83.710–83.750, giving a 3-business-day right to cancel (ORS 83.720); a violation of the Act is itself an unlawful practice under the UTPA (ORS 646.608). This double-barrels the classic "we noticed your chimney" door pitch. Complaints: Oregon DOJ / AG Consumer Protection (doj.state.or.us) + CCB for the contractor bond.

Oregon is one of the few states with an explicit government chimney-sweep scam alert: the Oregon DOJ "Scam Alert: Chimney Cleaning Scams" (doj.state.or.us) warns about uninvited door-to-door sweeps, low-ball cleaning offers used to upsell alarming "fire hazard" repairs, and directs consumers to verify the CCB license and call the AG Consumer Hotline (877-877-9392). The CCB also publishes construction-fraud guidance. This is a genuine, citable enforcement/education artifact — stronger scam content than most launch states.

Oregon runs a statewide code: the Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC), based on the IRC and adopted by the Building Codes Division (BCD). The 2023 ORSC (based on the 2021 IRC) has been effective since Oct. 1, 2023 (mandatory April 1, 2024); BCD's 2026 ORSC, based on the 2024 IRC, has an anticipated adoption date of Oct. 1, 2026 — re-check at publish. Chimneys/fireplaces sit in ORSC Chapter 10 (IRC lineage) — a NATIONAL STANDARD carried into state law. Relines, rebuilds, crowns, and solid-fuel appliance installs are generally permit work (and note the disclosure form itself asks whether the stove permit was pulled); routine sweeps and like-for-like caps generally are not. Cities/counties administer permits locally.

This is the standout in the whole launch set: Oregon requires the seller to REMOVE AND DESTROY an uncertified wood stove when a home is sold. Under the DEQ "Heat Smart" program — ORS 468A.460–468A.515 (rules at OAR ch. 340, div. 262) — under ORS 468A.505 a used solid fuel burning device (other than a cookstove) that was not certified for sale as new by EPA or DEQ must be removed and destroyed when the home is sold — by the seller before closing, or by the buyer within 30 days after closing if the parties agree in writing — and the responsible party must give DEQ written confirmation of the removal and destruction. Masonry heaters, certain masonry fireplaces, and central wood-fired furnaces are exempt, and noncompliance does not invalidate the sale. NOT YET CONFIRMED Penalty: ORS 468A.990 makes violating air-pollution rules/orders a Class A misdemeanor in general terms; a penalty specific to § 468A.505 was not confirmed — publish as "DEQ enforcement," not "misdemeanor." DEQ and local air authorities also run burn bans / curtailment on bad-air days. CAUTION on wildfire: SB 762 (2021) once tied a statewide wildfire-hazard map to disclosure, defensible-space, and ORSC R327 wildfire building standards — but SB 83 (2025, Or. Laws ch. 590, emergency clause — effective on passage) eliminated certain wildfire building-code standards and mapping requirements, voided the Forestry Department's hazard-zone assignments, and directed the State Fire Marshal to write a model defensible-space code and DCBS to adopt wildfire mitigation code standards; R327 mitigation now applies only where a local jurisdiction designates a hazard zone, and only to new construction. Treat WUI/R327 as LOCAL and optional, not statewide. (Chimney spark-arrestor language survives in R327 where locally adopted.)

Oregon requires CO alarms broadly. Under ORS 105.838 (definitions at ORS 105.836; purchaser's action at ORS 105.840; anti-tampering at ORS 105.842; with ORS 476.725 / State Fire Marshal rules), a person may not convey fee title to (or transfer possession under a land sale contract of) a one- and two-family dwelling or multifamily housing that contains a "carbon monoxide source" unless properly functioning CO alarms are installed — a genuine point-of-sale duty. A "CO source" (ORS 105.836) is a heater, fireplace, appliance or cooking source using coal, kerosene, petroleum or other fuels that emit CO, or an attached garage opening into living space. The statutory disclosure form (ORS 105.464) also asks "Are there carbon monoxide alarms?" Rentals with a CO source are covered for agreements on/after July 1, 2010. ORS 455.360 carries the alarm requirement into new construction. A permitted chimney/stove job is the natural moment to verify alarms.