Montana: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 2 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordMT LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Montana chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Montana?
#stove-installREGISTRATION- Credential
- No trade credential — only the exam-free Construction Contractor License (MCA § 37-45-201, HB 239 terminology trap: tests nothing but workers'-comp proof) or the $125 ICEC for solos. CODE CORRECTION: the 2021 IRC governs through 9/25/2026 and the 2024 IRC (with 2024 IBC/IEBC/UPC/WUI Code) takes effect 9/26/2026, while the 2021 IMC and IFGC stay in force (DLI Current Codes; adopting MAR notice unread); ENFORCEMENT exists only inside Building Codes Bureau jurisdiction and certified-city/county programs (Billings/Missoula/Bozeman/Gallatin etc.) — outside them no permits, so the listing rule is paper. No statewide EPA-stove install statute found (absence) — the emissions layer is local: Missoula County's air program and Libby/Lincoln County (EPA change-out area) — not re-verified. NFI voluntary; hearth-store employee carve-out for minor incidental work (MCA 37-69-102(1)(f))
- Issuing body
- MT DLI Business Standards Division (contractor license); DLI-ERD (ICEC); certified local building depts; county air programs (Missoula, Lincoln)
- Statute
- MCA §§ 37-45-201, 37-45-104; ARM Title 24 ch. 301 (2021 IRC to 9/25/2026; 2024 IRC from 9/26/2026; 2021 IMC/IFGC); local air ordinances
- Dollar threshold
- none for competency; license not required for jobs under $2,500 (§ 37-45-104(8)) or for no-employee independent contractors (§ 37-45-104(24))
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — certified-jurisdiction permits only; Missoula/Libby air-zone device restrictions (per July)
- Confidence
- medium-high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Montana?
#gas-fireplace-serviceREGISTRATION- Credential
- NO occupational gas credential of any kind — Montana's plumbing definitions (MCA 37-69-101, incl. 'plumbing system' (7)) contain no gas or fuel-gas language, there is no mechanical/HVAC/gas-fitter license (absence), and no LP installer license (the MDT 'LPG dealer license', ARM 18.15.801, is a vehicle-fuel TAX instrument; 'MCA Title 50 ch. 74 LPG Act' is WRONG — that chapter is Boilers and Steam Engines); code compliance rides on mechanical permits (2021 IFGC and 2021 IMC stay in force under ARM Title 24 ch. 301 even as the 2024 IRC/IBC take effect 9/26/2026); only credential = the exam-free Construction Contractor License (MCA § 37-45-201, HB 239 / Ch. 644 L. 2025, eff. 1/1/2026 — application = identity + proof of workers'-comp compliance; no exam, insurance or bond) or the $125 ICEC (workers'-comp waiver) for no-employee solos; appliance-dealer employees may do 'minor work... incidental to the installation of an appliance purchased from the dealer' without a plumber license (MCA 37-69-102(1)(f))
- Issuing body
- MT Dept. of Labor & Industry — Business Standards Division (contractor license); DLI-ERD (ICEC); DLI Building Codes Bureau or certified cities (permits)
- Statute
- MCA §§ 37-45-201, 37-45-104 (exemptions); MCA 37-69-101, 37-69-102(1)(f); ARM Title 24 ch. 301 (2021 IFGC; the July rule number 24.301.173 not re-fetched — rules.mt.gov returns 405)
- Dollar threshold
- none for competency; license not required for jobs under $2,500 aggregate contract price (§ 37-45-104(8)) or for independent contractors with no employees (§ 37-45-104(24))
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — certified-city permit programs (Billings/Missoula/Bozeman); Billings $10,000 plumbing-contractor bond (low-medium, not re-verified); no city gas-fitter exam license confirmed
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does Montana require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- registration ('construction contractor license' MCA § 37-45-201 post-HB 239 — exam-free, WC-compliance-based; or ICEC for no-employee solos)
- Liability minimum
- NONE — § 37-45-201 requires only proof of WC-law compliance, no GL (primary statute text verified); the Board of Plumbers imposes no GL on master plumbers either; a 'licensed' Montana contractor has proven WC compliance, never liability coverage
- Bond
- none at state level — no registration/license bond in § 37-45-201 and no master-plumber bond (application checklist verified); LOCAL exception: Billings $10,000 plumbing-contractor surety bond (low-medium)
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no guaranty/recovery fund (Title 37 ch. 45 + DLI/ERD materials, absence verified)
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee incl. part-time/seasonal (MCA § 39-71-401 — employer must elect plan 1/2/3 incl. Montana State Fund); ICEC (MCA § 39-71-417): $125 nonrefundable fee (ARM 24.35.121), 2-year term (ARM 24.35.117), waives the holder's own WC rights; license issuance REQUIRES WC proof or ICEC (§ 37-45-201(1)(b)); HB 239 bonus: hirers of licensed contractors shielded from statutory-employer WC liability (39-71-405 tie-in)
- How to verify
- single AUTOMATED endpoint: erdcontractors.mt.gov/ICCROnlineSearch searches ICEC AND contractor registration together (ideal registry check); GL = nothing to verify (carrier-direct COI only); plumber lookup ebizws.mt.gov; TERMINOLOGY TRAP: from 1/1/2026 businesses truthfully claim a Montana 'contractor license' — it still tests nothing
- 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 Montana?
- 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.