Oklahoma: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 4 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordOK LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Oklahoma chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Oklahoma?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- THE BATCH HEADLINE — Oklahoma has a dedicated hearth license, invisible to Pass 1's gas-piping lens, and it is the DEEPEST NFI-IN-LAW INTEGRATION IN THE NATION: the CIB 'Fueled Hearth Product Work' mechanical license covers 'Installation, service or repair of biomass-fueled or natural gas-fired fireplace, fireplace insert, stove or log set and associated venting and piping that fuels or simulates a flame of a solid fuel fire' (OAC 158:50-1-2; gas piping work excluded) — biomass = wood/pellet, so SOLID-FUEL stove and insert installs are licensed mechanical work; the competency gate is NFI ALONE: 'Applicants for a Fueled Hearth Product Work license shall provide proof of having been certified by examination in accordance with NFI in one of the three (3) categories: gas, wood, or pellets' (158:50-9-1(c)); NO experience requirement (158:50-5-2(b)(10)(F)); licensee locked to their NFI category ((D)-(E)); NFI CE satisfies state CE ((H)); current NFI certification required to renew ((I)); contractor tier adds Business & Law exam OR 3 of 6 business-documentation alternatives ((B)) + $50k CGL + $5k bond (CIB application); CIB's 2027 ch. 50 amendments (Governor-approved 8/20/2026) leave the definition unchanged; CAVEAT: the statutory 'heating systems' definition (59 O.S. § 1850.2) is distribution-scoped, so the solid-fuel capture rests on the CIB rule; permits: OKC/Tulsa mechanical desks; CODE: 2024 IRC/IMC/IFGC in force statewide since 9/14/2026 (OUBCC; IMC ch. 8 and IFGC ch. 5 unamended; IRC ch. 10 amendments unconfirmed)
- Issuing body
- Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (Mechanical Licensing Act; Committee of Mechanical Examiners)
- Statute
- 59 O.S. § 1850.2 (definitions); OAC 158:50-1-2, 158:50-5-2(b)(10), 158:50-9-1(c); OAC 748:20-6, -12, -14 (2024 codes)
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y (the NFI examination IS the required exam — wood/pellet/gas category; contractor tier adds business/law or documented alternatives)
- Local overlay
- y — OKC/Tulsa city registration at the permit desk; rural OK often has no permit office
- Confidence
- high (rule text read in full); medium (statutory anchoring of the solid-fuel capture) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in Oklahoma?
#chimney-flashingREGISTRATION- Credential
- CIB Roofing Contractor Registration — 'roofing contractor work' = 'installation, fabrication or assembly of equipment or systems included in roofing systems' incl. 'installation, renovation, remodeling, reroofing, reconstructing, repair, maintenance, improvement, alteration, and waterproofing' (59 O.S. § 1151.2(19)); chimney flashing is IRC roof-assembly work → registered work with NO dollar floor; unregistered roofing = misdemeanor up to $500 per violation (§ 1151.3(C)); insurance STATE-FILED: GL not less than $500,000 residential / $1,000,000 commercial (§ 1151.5(C)(4)); DATE CORRECTION — RESIDENTIAL ROOFING ENDORSEMENT (§ 1151.25a; HB 1628, Laws 2025 c. 368; amended by SB 1873, Laws 2026 c. 229, emergency eff. 7/1/2026): beginning 1/1/2027 residential roofing requires the endorsement (CIB-approved exam, 70%); registrants in good standing get a grandfather window to 1/1/2028 to pass the exam OR complete 10 hrs approved CE; current commercial-endorsement holders exempt — the July row's 'eff. 7/1/2026, grandfather to 7/1/2027' was wrong; EXEMPTIONS: owners/family/employees on their own residential or farm property, and a handyman paid by the owner doing a roofing repair in conjunction with other repairs at no more than two roofing jobs per year — the posture of a chimney shop that flashes occasionally (a shop ADVERTISING flashing falls inside the 'roofing contractor' definition)
- Issuing body
- Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (Roofing Contractor Registration Act)
- Statute
- 59 O.S. §§ 1151.1-1151.29 (1151.2, 1151.3, 1151.5(C)(4), 1151.9, 1151.25a)
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- n until 1/1/2027; then y (residential endorsement exam, or 10 hrs CE for grandfathered registrants by 1/1/2028); commercial endorsement exam pre-existing
- Local overlay
- y — OKC/Tulsa city registration at the permit desk
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Oklahoma?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Two state lanes plus LP: (1) CIB Fueled Hearth Product Work license (NFI-based mechanical specialty) — 'Installation, service or repair of biomass-fueled or natural gas-fired fireplace, fireplace insert, stove or log set and associated venting and piping that fuels or simulates a flame of a solid fuel fire' (OAC 158:50-1-2), EXCLUDING gas piping work, gas piping servicing and pressure-regulating devices (except factory-installed appliance gas valves) — added this pass, the July gas row omitted it; (2) gas piping itself: 'No person shall install, replace or repair gas piping unless... licensed under the Mechanical Licensing Act or... as a plumbing contractor or journeyman plumber' (59 O.S. § 1850.10(A)) — CIB Natural Gas Piping, HVAC Limited (cooling <= 25 tons, heating <= 500,000 Btu/h per appliance, incl. NG piping) or Unlimited, or plumbing license; (3) PROPANE appliances: Oklahoma LP Gas Administration Class IV Installer permit ('install and service LP Gas systems, appliances, and other LP Gas equipment') or work under a Class I Dealer
- Issuing body
- Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB) for hearth + natural gas; Oklahoma LP Gas Administration / LP Gas Board for propane
- Statute
- 59 O.S. §§ 1850.1–1850.17 (Mechanical Licensing Act; § 1850.10(A)); OAC 158:50-1-2, 158:50-5-2(b)(10), 158:50-9-1(c); 59 O.S. § 1001 et seq. (Plumbing License Law); 52 O.S. §§ 420.1–420.15 + OAC 420:10-1-5 (LP Gas)
- Dollar threshold
- none — license duty attaches to the work itself at $0
- Exam
- y — CIB written exams (Committee of Mechanical Examiners); Fueled Hearth = NFI exam in gas, wood or pellets (OAC 158:50-9-1(c)), contractor tier adds Business & Law exam or 3 business-history alternatives; LP Class IV: written exam per endorsement after 2 weeks' supervision (80% pass mark and CIB-licensee exemption from July not found in rule text)
- Local overlay
- OKC and Tulsa accept the state CIB license but require city contractor REGISTRATION before permits; 59 O.S. § 1850.12 preserves municipal permits/inspections/registration (carried from July)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas log installation: is a credential required in Oklahoma?
#gas-log-installLICENSE- Credential
- Distinct limited lanes: (1) CIB Fueled Hearth Product Work license names the LOG SET expressly (OAC 158:50-1-2; NFI-certified, locked to gas/wood/pellet category) but excludes the gas piping; (2) natural gas piping to the log set — CIB Natural Gas Piping license ('install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all natural gas piping', no tonnage/BTU limit; limited-license authority § 1850.8(C)) or other mechanical/plumbing license (§ 1850.10(A)); (3) propane — LP Gas Class IV Installer permit with LP/HP endorsements; the Class IV RHM endorsement covers 'only the limited maintenance activities of lighting or relighting pilot lights; cleaning gas logs; and exchanging cylinders on a stationary gas grill' (OAC 420:10-1-5(b)(4)(A)(vii))
- Issuing body
- Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB); Oklahoma LP Gas Administration / LP Gas Board
- Statute
- OAC 158:50-1-2, 158:50-5-2(b)(10); 59 O.S. § 1850.8(C) + § 1850.10(A); OAC 420:10-1-5(b)(4)
- Dollar threshold
- none — no dollar threshold
- Exam
- y — NFI exam (hearth); CIB exam (Natural Gas Piping); LP Class IV written exam per endorsement (NFPA 54 LP / NFPA 58 HP)
- Local overlay
- same as gas-fireplace-service: OKC/Tulsa city registration rides on top of the state license
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does Oklahoma require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license (CIB mechanical/plumbing for gas work; LP Gas permits for propane) — but NONE for pure chimney work, which has no license and therefore no state-mandated GL at all
- Liability minimum
- CIB active mechanical/plumbing/electrical contractor: minimum $50,000 commercial general liability, STATE-VERIFIED — certificate of insurance filed with CIB, CIB named as certificate holder, insurer must give cancellation notice; lapse auto-inactivates the license and contracting while lapsed is a violation. LP Gas (OAC 420:10-1-18): Class I Dealer $1,000,000/occurrence + $1,000,000 aggregate GL incl. products/completed-operations; Class IV Installer $500,000/$500,000; COI filed with LP Gas Administrator before permit issues, 30-day cancellation notice to Administrator; statutory floor + bond/securities-in-lieu option at 52 O.S. § 420.4. Roofing (contrast): $500k res/$1M comm under 59 O.S. § 1151.1 et seq.
- Bond
- CIB: $5,000 corporate surety bond, obligee = Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, in the individual license holder's name, continuous with 30-day cancellation notice — a compliance bond running to the state, not a consumer-restitution fund; TRAP: license can go inactive-status with bond/insurance dropped (59 O.S. § 1850.8(B)), and CIB publishes an "Affidavit for Mechanical (Waiver for Bond & Insurance)" — waiver conditions UNVERIFIED; LP alternative: Board may accept deposited securities or indemnity bond in lieu of insurance certificate (52 O.S. § 420.4). Tulsa city registration bonds ~$5k–$10k (third-party figure, UNVERIFIED)
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — Oklahoma has no contractor guaranty/recovery fund of any kind; no fund appears in the Mechanical Licensing Act, CIB rules, or the Roofing Registration Act (verified by absence across primary sources); the $5k CIB bond is the only pot and it runs to the Board
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee — coverage required upon hiring even one full/part-time worker (85A O.S., Administrative Workers' Compensation Act; § 38 duty to secure); exemptions: sole proprietors/partners need not cover themselves; agricultural employers under $100k prior-year payroll; certain family-member employment excluded from "employee" (85A O.S. § 2 — subsection detail UNVERIFIED); owner-occupied single-family residence exception shields the HOMEOWNER from liability for an independent contractor's injuries (85A O.S. § 36); CNC ARTIFACT CONFIRMED: Certificate of Noncoverage issued by the OK Workers' Compensation Commission to sole props/partners under 85A O.S. § 36 + OAC 810:25-5-1 — notarized application, $50 fee, valid 2 years, conclusively presumes non-employee status vs the prime contractor
- How to verify
- WC: free public coverage search (business name or FEIN) via the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission, entry at https://www.wcc.ok.gov/ — NCCI-powered proof-of-coverage; returns business name + policy number only; dedicated public CNC lookup UNVERIFIED (apply/verify through WCC). GL/bond: CIB holds the COI and bond on file — license status lookup at https://cibverify.ok.gov reflects active vs inactive (inactive = bond/insurance not current). LP permits: COI on file with LP Gas Administration (lpgas.ok.gov); no public LP insurance lookup found
- 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 Oklahoma?
- 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.