Washington: 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 recordWA LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Washington chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified more recently than this matrix.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Washington?
#stove-installREGISTRATION- Credential
- THE HEARTH-NAMED REGISTRATION: L&I specialty 'Wood/pellet and gas stove' — WAC 296-200A-016(63) verbatim: 'installs wood, pellet, or gas stoves, zero clearance and fire place inserts. These systems may include... Air-filtering devices; gas piping from service connection to equipment; chimney, flashing and flues; and outside combustion air ducts.' No exam (registration tier). STATEWIDE EPA AXIS (the task-brief 'RCW 70A.15.3550-ish' pinned): RCW 70A.15.3520 — 'no used solid fuel burning device shall be installed in new or existing buildings unless such device is either Oregon department of environmental quality phase II or United States environmental protection agency certified or a pellet stove either certified or exempt' (since 1/1/1992) + SBCC must require an adequate non-woodstove heat source in new/substantially-remodeled construction in UGAs and PM nonattainment areas; RCW 70A.15.3540 bans sale of new woodstoves not approved under Washington's OWN program (RCW 70A.15.3530, WAC 173-433); RCW 70A.15.3600 limits use. Code: 2021 WSRC eff. 3/15/2024. NFI voluntary
- Issuing body
- WA Dept. of Labor & Industries (contractor registration); Dept. of Ecology (stove approval program); local building depts (permits)
- Statute
- WAC 296-200A-016(63); RCW 70A.15.3520/.3530/.3540/.3600; ch. 173-433 WAC
- Dollar threshold
- none (registration from $0; handyman specialty limited to <$2,000 non-permit work)
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency adds uncertified-device resale/reinstall restrictions; Seattle gas overlay is gas-side only (Pass 1)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-22
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in Washington?
#chimney-flashingREGISTRATION- Credential
- 'Roofing' specialty registration — WAC 296-200A-016(44) verbatim: 'installs and repairs materials common to the industry that form a water tight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks, including all accessories, plywood, coping, FLASHING, valleys, gravel stops, and roof insulation panels above the roof decks... Also includes roofing related architectural sheet metal' — flashing named. AND the same rule keeps chimney work in-family: the 'Masonry' specialty (36) 'also includes chimney cleaning and repair', and the 'Wood/pellet and gas stove' specialty (63) itself includes 'chimney, flashing and flues' — a hearth shop registered under (63) can lawfully do its own chimney flashing without a separate roofing registration. No exam at any tier; handyman specialty <$2,000 non-permit work only
- Issuing body
- WA Dept. of Labor & Industries
- Statute
- WAC 296-200A-016(36)/(44)/(63); ch. 18.27 RCW
- Dollar threshold
- none (registration from $0)
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- n — statewide registration; city permits for re-roofs
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-22
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Washington?
#gas-fireplace-serviceREGISTRATION- Credential
- L&I specialty contractor registration, 'Wood/Pellet and Gas Stove' specialty (WAC 296-200A-016) — installs wood/pellet/gas stoves, zero-clearance fireplaces and inserts INCLUDING 'gas piping from service connection to equipment; chimney, flashing and flues' — a hearth-NAMED registration category with NO exam; state plumber certification (RCW 18.106) does NOT cover fuel gas (medical-gas endorsement only); NO state HVAC/mechanical worker license and NO LP installer license (absences verified — LP rides NFPA 58 via local fire-code permits); BONUS: the 'Masonry' specialty expressly includes 'chimney cleaning and repair' — the first sweep-named registration category in the project
- Issuing body
- WA Dept. of Labor & Industries (contractor registration)
- Statute
- RCW 18.27.010–.090; WAC 296-200A-016
- Dollar threshold
- none (registration from $0; homeowner exemption RCW 18.27.090(12))
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — Seattle Gas Piping Mechanic license (SDCI; exam + 12 months experience; scope meter-to-appliance; SMC 6.430); Tacoma/Spokane UNVERIFIED
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
What insurance does Washington require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- registration (L&I contractor registration, RCW 18.27 — bond + insurance, no exam)
- Liability minimum
- $200,000 public liability + $50,000 property damage OR $250,000 combined single limit (RCW 18.27.050) — COI FILED with L&I as certificate holder, lapse AUTO-SUSPENDS registration, status shown in Verify-a-Contractor = STATE-VERIFIED (the strongest registration-tier insurance regime in the project)
- Bond
- $30,000 general / $15,000 specialty continuous surety bond (RCW 18.27.040; raised by HB 1534 (2023) eff. 7/1/2024 — first increase in 22 years); pays laborers (incl. benefits), state taxes, material suppliers/equipment renters, and residential-homeowner breach-of-contract judgments; claims = superior-court suit against contractor AND bond, 1-yr window (2 yrs for residential homeowners); homeowner claims take PRIORITY and non-homeowner claims are capped at HALF the bond; bond impairment auto-suspends registration
- Guaranty fund
- Homeowner Recovery Program (RCW 18.27.410, created by HB 1534 (2023)) — claims eligibility began 7/1/2026 (nine days before this check): up to $25,000 per contractor per parcel for homeowners holding a final court judgment against a REGISTERED contractor (primary residence); funded by L&I fines/penalties (not assessments); annual payouts capped at 80% of account balance with waitlist — WA now has bond + insurance + fund, all state-held
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee; MONOPOLISTIC STATE FUND — industrial insurance is bought from L&I itself (Title 51 RCW; no private WC market except approved self-insurance), so verification is STATE-RUN: Verify-a-Contractor displays the live 'active, paid-to-date workers' comp account' status directly; excluded (RCW 51.12.020): sole props/partners (may opt in), qualifying corporate officers (non-public corps may exempt up to 8, unlimited if family), qualifying LLC members
- How to verify
- single-portal AUTOMATED check: secure.lni.wa.gov/verify returns registration status, specialty class, bond + pending bond lawsuits, liability insurance, WC account status, and citations in one state-run lookup — best-in-project automation
- 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 Washington?
- 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.