Kentucky: no state license covers chimney work. Here's what that means.

Kentucky CONFIRMS the master finding: with no statewide chimney license (only Louisville/Lexington local credentials), it delivers a real seller disclosure form that names "chimneys, fireplaces, inserts" — the weak-license / strong-disclosure inversion again. It pairs the missing license with a mandatory statewide building code, which is uncommon for a no-license state. Two catches belong on the page: the disclosure mandate applies only when a real-estate licensee is paid, so a pure FSBO buyer gets nothing statutory; and a 2025 bill to require CO and smoke detectors at sale or lease died in committee, so existing Kentucky homes carry no statewide CO duty at all. The chimney-inspection-at-purchase recommendation carries more weight here, not less.

No state license covers chimney work in Kentucky. STATE LAW: the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) (name verified on dhbc.ky.gov, Sep 25 2026) licenses or certifies "plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and/or fire alarm contractors and building inspectors," and administers HVAC work at the state level (HVAC licensing not re-read this pass) — there is no statewide general-contractor and no masonry license, so chimney masonry, relining, and sweeping fall outside state licensure. Licensing is LOCAL: (1) Louisville Metro (Codes & Regulations) licenses general contractors by class; the Jul 2026 pass reported a Class C masonry path with an experience requirement, insurance, and a Louisville Metro building-contractor exam (details not re-verified — confirm before quoting numbers); (2) Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Building Inspection registers contractors separately. Other cities run their own registration. So "licensed and bonded" in Kentucky usually means a Louisville or Lexington local credential valid only in that jurisdiction — never a statewide chimney credential.

Wide statewide — there is nothing to verify for chimney work outside the metros: no state exam, no state registry. Even local contractor exams test building-code/permit knowledge, not flue diagnosis or NFPA 211. Chimney sweeping and repair are both unlicensed by the state, and outside Louisville/Lexington even the local check disappears. Individual certs (NCSG CCP/CCR; CSIA CCS, C-DET) and an independent inspection are the real competence signal here.

STATE LAW: KRS 324.360(1): "This section shall apply to sales and purchases involving single-family residential real estate dwellings if any person licensed under this chapter receives compensation." The seller completes and signs the form when executing a listing agreement (§ 324.360(4)); for unlisted property, any involved licensee must give the owner a blank form (§ 324.360(5)). Exempt: new homes sold with a warranty, auction sales, and court-supervised foreclosures (§ 324.360(7)); a seller's refusal must be communicated in writing to the buyer (§ 324.360(8)). The prescribed form is KREC Form 402, "Seller's Disclosure of Property Condition" (12/2022), incorporated by reference in 201 KAR 11:121, and it lists "g. Chimneys, fireplaces, inserts" plus "j. Heating system age of system." FSBO scope (RESOLVED): a sale with no compensated real-estate licensee is outside KRS 324.360 — the pure for-sale-by-owner buyer gets no statutory form. No inspection is mandated at transfer; NFPA 211 Level 2 stays a NATIONAL STANDARD.

STATE LAW: the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act, KRS 367.170, bars "unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce," with AG enforcement and a private right of action (KRS 367.220) (not re-fetched this pass). Door-to-door work is governed by the Home Solicitation Sales provisions, KRS 367.410 et seq.; KRS 367.420 ("Buyer's right to cancel home solicitation sale -- Method of cancellation") lets the buyer "cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement," by written notice to the seller's stated address (mail notice effective on deposit); where the buyer requests emergency goods/services and the seller has substantially performed before notice, the right does not apply. That is the exact mechanic against chimney scare-sales. New in 2026 — insurance-funded repair work: SB 153 (2026 Ky. Acts ch. 54, signed Apr 8, 2026) amends KRS 367.620–367.628, which cover "goods or services relating to real estate" (repair, replacement, construction or improvement) expected to be paid from insurance proceeds. The homeowner may cancel "before midnight on the fifth business day after you have received written notification from the insurer" that the claim is not covered. The contractor must supply a detachable cancellation notice and may not require payment before that window ends. During a declared emergency the AG may require contractor registration in the affected area, and contractors may not solicit in person there for 90 days (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sb153.html ; https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0054.pdf — GOV; effective date not pinned this pass). This matters for storm-damage chimney and roof jobs billed to insurance. Complaints: KY AG Office of Consumer Protection.

The KY AG's Office of Consumer Protection pursues home-repair contractors, and the door-knock "we noticed your chimney" pitch is a textbook home-solicitation (KRS 367.420) + KRS 367.170 problem. Specific KY chimney-sweep enforcement actions: NOT FOUND. Use pattern language only.

STATE LAW: unusually for a no-license state, Kentucky has a mandatory statewide building code under KRS 198B. One- and two-family dwellings and townhouses fall under 815 KAR 7:125, the Kentucky Residential Code, which adopts the 2015 International Residential Code as amended by the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code (Third Edition, August 2024), last amended effective Dec 3, 2024; other buildings fall under 815 KAR 7:120, the Kentucky Building Code (2015 IBC as amended by the 2018 KBC, Fourth Edition). Local building departments enforce. Chimney relines, rebuilds, crowns, and solid-fuel appliance installs are generally permit work; routine sweeps and like-for-like caps generally are not. Rural counties vary in enforcement capacity, but the code itself is statewide.

No statewide burn-ban or stove-emission regime. Not a material content section for KY.

CORRECTED Sep 15, 2026. The prior draft said 2025 HB 339 created a detector requirement at sale/lease effective Dec 31, 2025. That bill never became law. The LRC record shows 2025 HB 339, "AN ACT relating to residential detectors," introduced Feb 5, 2025 and referred Feb 7, 2025 to House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations — no further action. 2026 session (RESOLVED Sep 25 2026): two successor bills were filed, and neither advanced. 2026 HB 326 ("AN ACT relating to residential safety") covers smoke detectors only at sale or lease; it was referred to House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations on 1/20/26 with no further action. 2026 HB 474 would require smoke detectors at sale or lease and only directs the fire marshal to recommend CO detectors; it was referred to the same committee on 1/30/26 with no further action. The LRC record, updated 8/19/26, shows no later action on either (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb326.html ; https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb474.html — GOV). Kentucky therefore has no statewide point-of-sale or point-of-lease CO requirement found in statute. DHBC's January 2026 CO safety initiative covers schools, daycares and senior living inspections and announces no new residential mandate. It states: "The Building Code requires CO detectors in residential construction built after 2011" (https://dhbc.ky.gov/Documents/CarbonMonoxideTestingInitiative1-26.pdf — GOV). CO alarm requirements for new one- and two-family construction come through the Kentucky Residential Code (815 KAR 7:125, on the 2015 IRC); the 2015 IRC model text requires CO alarms in new dwellings with fuel-fired appliances or attached garages (NATIONAL STANDARD model language — Kentucky's amended R315 text not read this pass). Existing homes: no state retrofit mandate found. A chimney/appliance job is still the natural moment to recommend alarms.