Wisconsin: 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 recordWI LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Wisconsin chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified more recently than this matrix.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Wisconsin?
#stove-installREGISTRATION- Credential
- HVAC Contractor Registration (business-level, NO exam) — SPS 305.70(1)(a) verbatim: no business may 'engage or offer to engage in installing or servicing heating, ventilating, or air conditioning equipment' without DSPS registration; solid fuel sits inside 'heating equipment' by the code's own architecture (UDC ch. SPS 323 'Heating, Ventilating And Air Conditioning' contains SPS 323.045 'Solid-fuel-burning appliances') though no standalone statutory definition found — structural inference; voluntary HVAC Qualifier certification (exam, 4 yrs experience) buys preemption of local licensing (SPS 305.71(1)(b)); Dwelling Contractor cert + DCQ needed to pull UDC permits; CODE TRAP: the UDC (SPS 320-325) is a STATE-WRITTEN code, not an IRC adoption, but has its own listing rule — SPS 323.045(1) verbatim: 'All solid-fuel-burning appliances shall be tested and listed by an accepted testing agency' and install per listing; UDC SCOPE GAP: code does not apply to pre-6/1/1980 dwellings or their alterations statewide (SPS 320.05(1), municipal adoption option) and repairs are exempt (320.05(3)) — stove installs in post-1980 homes are UDC/permit-gated, in pre-1980 homes only where the municipality opted in; homeowner exemption SPS 305.70(1)(b)2; NFI/CSIA voluntary
- Issuing body
- WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
- Statute
- Wis. Stat. § 101.178(2); SPS 305.70, 305.71; Wis. Stat. § 101.654 (dwelling contractor); SPS 320.05, 323.045
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- n for the registration (HVAC Qualifier exam voluntary; DCQ exam for permit-pullers)
- Local overlay
- y — Milwaukee/Madison own inspections + existing-building ordinances (detail UNVERIFIED)
- Confidence
- high (rule text); medium-high (solid-fuel-in-HVAC inclusion is structural, not definitional) · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Wisconsin?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- HVAC Contractor Registration (business) + HVAC Qualifier certification (individual; exam; 4 yrs experience/education) under SPS 305 subch. VII — required for the business of installing or servicing heating equipment, which is where gas fireplaces/inserts/log sets sit; may not commence installation requiring a UDC permit until permit issued (SPS 305.71(7)); residential permit work ALSO needs the Dwelling Contractor cert + Dwelling Contractor Qualifier; LP vs NG: no separate installer license, but LP-gas installations governed by the WI LP Gas Code (SPS 340, NFPA 58 base) and the installer must furnish the user a prescribed conformance STATEMENT for LP equipment (statute cite UNVERIFIED) — a paper trail unique to LP
- Issuing body
- WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
- Statute
- Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.71/305.73 (HVAC qualifier/contractor); SPS 340 (LP gas code); enabling statute section UNVERIFIED
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (HVAC qualifier certification exam; 4 yrs experience or education prerequisite)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high (credential structure); medium (LP statement statute) · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
What insurance does Wisconsin require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- certification (Dwelling Contractor cert needed to pull 1-2 family permits; HVAC contractor registration for gas/heating work)
- Liability minimum
- EITHER/OR structure, unique in batch: Dwelling Contractor Certification requires a $25,000 surety bond OR $250,000-per-occurrence GL policy (Wis. Stat. § 101.654; SPS 305.315) — insurance and bond are ALTERNATIVES, not cumulative; policy/bond may not be canceled except on 30 days' written notice SERVED ON THE DEPARTMENT (state-filed); TRAP: the cert is only required to PULL UDC PERMITS on 1-2 family dwellings — chimney sweeping/repair that needs no permit escapes the insurance net entirely; HVAC contractor registration: no insurance requirement found (UNVERIFIED)
- Bond
- $25,000 surety bond as the alternative to the $250k GL (same cite); 'Dwelling Contractor Restricted' cert available for smaller bonds; no other state contractor bond
- Guaranty fund
- none — no guaranty/recovery fund
- Workers' comp threshold
- 3+ employees at one time OR 1+ employee paid $500+ gross wages in any calendar quarter (coverage due by 10th day of next quarter) — WI DWD; sole props/partners/LLC members excluded, may elect; farmers: 6+ employees on 20 days/yr
- How to verify
- insurance/bond: STATE-FILED for dwelling-contractor certificants (30-day department cancellation notice); DSPS credential lookup (AUTOMATED); WC: every policy must be filed with the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau — WCRB public coverage lookup
- 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 Wisconsin?
- 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.