New Hampshire: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 2 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordNH LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see New Hampshire chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in New Hampshire?
#stove-installNONE- Credential
- No installer credential and no contracting layer of any kind for SOLID FUEL (no statewide GC/HIC registration exists; the new Hearth System Installation and Service Technician endorsement, RSA 153:27, IX, is limited to propane/natural gas hearth appliances, so wood/pellet stove installs stay uncredentialed); the only law reaching a stove install is the state building/fire code enforced town-by-town — permits exist only in municipalities with an enforcement mechanism; CODE: RSA 155-A:1, IV now adopts the 2024 IBC, IEBC, IPC, IMC, ISPSC and IRC (2018 IECC, 2023 NEC), effective 7/1/2026, with a Jul 1–Dec 31, 2026 window to permit under 2021 or 2024 (NHBOA, REF); from 7/1/2026 municipalities may NOT amend technical requirements unless the state code is more than 2 editions behind (RSA 155-A:3, 2025, 276:6); NFPA 211 (2019) on the fire-code adopted-standards list (not re-verified); NFI/CSIA voluntary
- Issuing body
- n/a statewide; municipal building departments (RSA 155-A / RSA 674:51); State Fire Marshal (Saf-C 6000)
- Statute
- RSA 155-A:1, IV + RSA 155-A:3; RSA 153:27, IX (gas-only hearth endorsement); Saf-C 6000 fire code
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — permit regimes only in enforcement-mechanism towns (Manchester/Nashua detail UNVERIFIED)
- Confidence
- high (statute text); medium (grace window REF; fire-code edition) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in New Hampshire?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Fuel Gas Fitter license (RSA 153:27, III) with specialty endorsements INCLUDING A HEARTH-NAMED ONE — 'Hearth System Installation and Service Technician' = 'any person engaged in the installation, servicing, and repair of liquefied propane or natural gas hearth appliances and venting systems' (RSA 153:27, IX) — alongside Fuel Gas Installation Technician, Fuel Gas Service Technician, Fuel Gas Piping Installer and Domestic Appliance Technician; 'fuel gas fitting' covers NG and propane piping from point of delivery, appliances, venting of flue gases and combustion air (RSA 153:27, IV); no licensee may work outside the specialty (RSA 153:29, III); fuel gas fitting business entity license (RSA 153:29-a); homeowner exemption for owner-occupied stand-alone single-family (RSA 153:36, I); propane AND natural gas under one track (no LP/NG split) — CORRECTS the July row, which omitted the hearth endorsement
- Issuing body
- NH Mechanical Licensing Board (RSA 153:27-a), administered by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification
- Statute
- RSA 153:27 (III, IV, IX), 153:28, 153:29, 153:29-a, 153:36; board rules (Saf-Mec 300/500 series cited in July — not re-verified)
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (board-set examinations, RSA 153:29, I; education/field-experience/testing standards per specialty, RSA 153:28 — hour figures for the hearth endorsement not re-verified)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high (statute text); medium (rule-level requirements) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does New Hampshire require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- none for chimney/GC work (no state GC/HIC credential; fuel gas fitter license for gas work)
- Liability minimum
- NONE for chimney/GC work — no state credential exists to attach it to; fuel gas fitter eligibility rules (Saf-Mec 300/305) contain no liability-insurance requirement found; whether the fuel gas fitting BUSINESS ENTITY license requires insurance is UNVERIFIED; TRAP: SEO/bond-vendor sites claim an 'RSA 332-B HIC registration with $10,000 bond' — FALSE, RSA 332-B is the NH Veterinary Practice Act (verified on gc.nh.gov); NH AG's position is contractors need no license
- Bond
- none at state level (the circulating '$10k NH HIC bond' is debunked — see liability column)
- Guaranty fund
- none — no guaranty/recovery fund of any kind
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee (full or part-time) triggers coverage (RSA 281-A:5 per NH DOL FAQ); sole proprietors/partners/self-employed exempt for themselves, may elect in; corporations with only 3 corporate officers and no other employees exempt
- How to verify
- insurance: nothing to verify for chimney work; gas license lookup oplc.nh.gov/license-lookup (AUTOMATED); WC public lookup: NH DOL Workers' Compensation Insurance Coverage Verification (NCCI-fed, search by business name/FEIN, shows insurer + policy + effective date)
- Confidence
- high (absences + WC); medium (business-entity insurance question) · checked 2026-07-09
- Sources
Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states
Before anyone goes on your roof
What should you ask a chimney company in New Hampshire?
- 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.