New Jersey: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 3 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordNJ LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see New Jersey chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in New Jersey?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- Master Hearth Specialist — 'hearth professional work' covers installation, replacement, connection, venting, inspection, repair, maintenance or servicing of hearth product appliances (fireplace, insert, stove or log set fueled by solid fuel, wood, pellet or gas) including vent systems (C.45:16A-2); entity-level duty at C.45:16A-35 (knowing violation = 4th-degree crime + revocation); carve-out at C.45:16A-36 lets chimney service professionals registered as home improvement contractors act within their own scope; homeowner exempt (C.45:16A-41); NFI Master Hearth Professional cert is the statutory prerequisite (C.45:16A-38; N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7.3, eff. 11/21/2022) — NFI is REFERENCED IN LAW; UCC (N.J.A.C. 5:23) permit — DCA adopted the 2024 I-Codes incl. the 2024 IRC one-/two-family subcode (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21) on 8/17/2026 (was 2021 IRC NJ ed.); the HIC licensing act (P.L.2023, c.237) is enacted but NOT operative, so the C.45:16A-36 carve-out still keys to HIC registration
- Issuing body
- NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — HVACR Board, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee; NJ DCA Division of Codes (UCC permits)
- Statute
- N.J.S.A. 45:16A-2, 45:16A-33 (gas piping duty), 45:16A-35 (hearth-work contracting), 45:16A-36 (carve-out), 45:16A-38 (qualifications), 45:16A-41 (homeowner); N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7; N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (via NFI MHP certification, exam-based; no separate state exam in rule) + 5 yrs experience
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in New Jersey?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Master Hearth Specialist (P.L.2019, c.260 — operative; board rules N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7 eff. 11/21/2022): C.45:16A-33 — no person may install, improve, repair or maintain gas piping associated with hearth product appliances or hearth professional work unless licensed as a master hearth specialist; C.45:16A-35 business license (knowing violation = 4th-degree crime); general gas appliance connections = Master HVACR Contractor or Master Plumber; NOTE the separate HIC licensing act (P.L.2023, c.237) is enacted but NOT operative — HIC registration still governs the contracting layer
- Issuing body
- NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee
- Statute
- N.J.S.A. 45:16A-33, 45:16A-35, 45:16A-38 (P.L.2019, c.260); N.J.S.A. 45:16A-1 et seq. (HVACR, P.L.2007, c.211); N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7.3
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (via NFI Master Hearth Professional certification, an exam-based credential; N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7.3 sets no separate state exam) + 5 yrs hearth experience (2 within the last 5)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas log installation: is a credential required in New Jersey?
#gas-log-installLICENSE- Credential
- Master Hearth Specialist — 'hearth product appliance' is statutorily a fireplace, insert, stove or LOG SET fueled by solid fuel, gas, propane, wood or pellets, and C.45:16A-33 reserves the associated gas piping to master hearth specialists (same dedicated license as gas-fireplace-service); homeowner exemption C.45:16A-41
- Issuing body
- NJ Division of Consumer Affairs — HVACR Board, Master Hearth Specialists Advisory Committee
- Statute
- N.J.S.A. 45:16A-2, 45:16A-33 (P.L.2019, c.260); N.J.A.C. 13:32A-7.3
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (via NFI Master Hearth Professional certification; no separate state exam in rule) + 5 yrs experience
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does New Jersey require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- registration (DCA HIC; N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq.; licensing phasing in ~2027)
- Liability minimum
- $500,000 CGL per occurrence (N.J.S.A. 56:8-142(a)); home-elevation adds $1M cargo coverage (142(c))
- Bond
- compliance bond tiered by volume (56:8-142(e)-(f)): $10k (<$10k contract or <$150k/yr) / $25k ($10k-$120k or $150k-$750k/yr) / $50k (>$120k or >=$750k/yr); pays DCA penalties NOT consumer claims (142(h)-(i)); in force since ~Apr 2025 (P.L.2023 c.237)
- Guaranty fund
- none for home improvement (New Home Warranty fund = new construction only)
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee (anyone paid, excluding principal owner/partners/LLC members) triggers; sole prop exempt for self
- How to verify
- insurance STATE-VERIFIED (COI filed with DCA director; replacement certificate due within 10 days of cancellation, 56:8-142(b)); WC lookup: NJCRIB Proof of Coverage search
- Confidence
- high (amounts+statute); medium (bond effective date) · 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 Jersey?
- 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.