Pennsylvania: 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 recordPA LAW

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

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

Credential: No installer credential — HICPA Home Improvement Contractor registration is the only statewide layer; UCC building permit through municipality (opt-in enforcement); manufacturer-listing rule enters as code via 2021 IRC (UCC triennial update enforceable 1/1/2026)
Issuing body: PA Office of Attorney General (HICPA); municipal UCC code officials (L&I where opted out)
Statute: HICPA (73 P.S. section — see rights research); PA UCC Act 45 of 1999 + 34 Pa. Code Ch. 403 (2021 I-Codes eff. 1/1/2026)
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — Philadelphia and other cities run their own UCC permitting; no city stove-installer license found
Confidence: high · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: GOVpa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-servi…REFgawthrop.com/major-changes-to-pennsylvan…

Credential: HICPA Home Improvement Contractor registration (no statewide trade license for NG gas work; LP-gas facility/dealer registration under Act 61 of 2002 is separate)
Issuing body: PA Office of Attorney General (HICPA); PA Dept. of Labor & Industry BOIS (LP-gas)
Statute: HICPA (exact 73 P.S. section UNVERIFIED); Propane and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act, Act 61 of 2002 (P.L. 421)
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — Philadelphia (Master Plumber license for gas piping, ICC exam); Pittsburgh/Allegheny County (ACHD plumbing license)
Confidence: high · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: GOVphila.gov/services/permits-violations…GOVlegis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/2002/0/00…GOVpa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-servi…

Regime: registration (AG HIC; HICPA 73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.)
Liability minimum: $50,000 bodily injury + $50,000 property damage (HICPA; AG HIC application instructions; subsection cite 517.4 reported, not primary-verified)
Bond: none at state level
Guaranty fund: none
Workers' comp threshold: 1 employee (any part-time) triggers coverage; sole proprietors/partners exempt for themselves; no CE-200-style exemption certificate
How to verify: insurance ATTESTED only (self-reported insurer+policy on AG application Sec. G, signed certification, no COI filed, no carrier reporting); registration lookup hic.attorneygeneral.gov; WC public lookup: PA L&I WC Insurance Search (PCRB data)
Confidence: high (amounts); medium (statute subsection) · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: GOVattorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/…GOVhic.attorneygeneral.govGOVpa.gov/agencies/dli/resources/for-…

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.