New York: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?

Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 2 records checked Sep 2026

Public recordNY LAW

For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see New York chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.

Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in New York?

Credential: No state installer credential — Uniform Code permits enforced locally; 2025 Uniform Code (RCNYS 2025, derivative of the 2024 IRC) effective 12/31/2025 carries listing/manufacturer-instruction rules; NYS DOS: 'NYS does not license home improvement contractors, however, some counties and local municipalities do'
Issuing body: n/a statewide; local code enforcement offices under DOS Division of Building Standards and Codes
Statute: no licensing statute; 19 NYCRR Uniform Code (2025 RCNYS)
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — NYC runs its own construction codes and DOB permits; the July claim that NYC Local Law 38 of 2015 bans NEW wood-burning fireplaces is NOT re-verified (the previously cited amlegal page is Admin. Code § 27-848.08, wood-burning appliance installation standards, which contains no ban); county/city HIC licenses (NYC, Buffalo, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland per DOS) cover the contracting layer
Confidence: high (state layer); low (NYC LL38 ban claim) · checked 2026-09-25
Sources: GOVdos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026…REFcodes.iccsafe.org/content/NYSRC2025P1GOVdos.ny.gov/news/consumer-alert-new-yor…REFcodelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NY…

Credential: No state gas-fitter/plumber license — gas trade licensing is entirely local
Issuing body: n/a statewide; NYC DOB and county/city boards locally
Statute: no state statute; NYC Local Law 150 of 2016 (Master Plumber license or DOB Gas Work Qualification) + NYC Construction Codes
Dollar threshold: none
Exam: n
Local overlay: y — NYC: LL150 of 2016 requires anyone performing gas work to hold a DOB Master Plumber license or a Qualification for Gas Work (Limited GWQ = 16-hr DOB-sponsored course; Full GWQ = registered journeyman plumber, approved apprenticeship + 1 yr, or 5 yrs under a Master Plumber); qualifications issued before 1/1/2020 were extended to 12/31/2024 (the July row's 'mandatory since Jan 1 2020' is not stated on the DOB page); LL152 periodic gas piping inspections (not re-verified); Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/Buffalo license plumbers locally (not re-verified)
Confidence: high · checked 2026-09-25
Sources: GOVnyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/gas…

Regime: none statewide (local patchwork: NYC DCWP + Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/Putnam/Rockland counties)
Liability minimum: NONE statewide. NYC DCWP HIC requires NO liability insurance at all (checklist verified). Local: Suffolk ~$500k combined, Nassau/Westchester ~$1M/occurrence (secondary sources, UNVERIFIED from primary)
Bond: no state bond; NYC HIC: $20,000 surety bond OR Trust Fund enrollment ($200)
Guaranty fund: no state fund; NYC Home Improvement Trust Fund (funded by $200 enrollment fees; pays on DCWP decision/settlement/judgment unpaid 30 days; per-claim cap UNVERIFIED; 6 RCNY 2-224)
Workers' comp threshold: 1 employee (even part-time) triggers; sole prop w/o employees exempt via WCB CE-200 exemption certificate; carrier form C-105.2 (ACORD not accepted)
How to verify: liability verifiable only via local license offices; WC best-in-class public lookup: NYS WCB 'Does Employer Have Coverage' (daily-updated, wcb.ny.gov)
Confidence: high (state absence + NYC); medium (county amounts) · checked 2026-07-09
Sources: GOVnyc.gov/site/dca/businesses/license…GOVnyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/Home-Imp…GOVwcb.ny.gov/content/ebiz/icempcovsearch…

Before anyone goes on your roof

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.