Oregon: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 3 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordOR LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Oregon chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Oregon?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- No trade credential — any CCB-licensed contractor + mechanical permit (2023 ORSC, 2021 IRC base, eff. 10/1/2023, mandatory 4/1/2024; BCD's 2026 ORSC on the 2024 IRC is 'anticipated Oct. 1, 2026' — re-check). THE NATION'S STRONGEST EPA-STOVE INSTALL REGIME rides on top: ORS 468A.465 bans sale of new uncertified devices; ORS 468A.495 orders the STATE BUILDING CODE to 'prohibit installations of used solid fuel burning devices' unless EPA- or DEQ-certified-as-new — the install ban is code-integrated; ORS 468A.500 bans sale of noncertified used devices; ORS 468A.505 requires REMOVAL AND DESTRUCTION of uncertified devices at home sale (seller before closing, or buyer within 30 days if agreed in writing; written confirmation to DEQ; exempt: masonry heaters, certain masonry fireplaces, central wood-fired furnaces); penalty specific to 468A.505 not confirmed (468A.990 is general) — ORS 468A text read on a mirror (2023 ORS + 2024 session), not the official 2025 edition. NFI voluntary
- Issuing body
- Oregon CCB (license); BCD/local building depts (mechanical permits); DEQ (device certification + removal confirmations, Heat Smart program)
- Statute
- ORS 468A.460–468A.515 (esp. .465, .495, .500, .505); ORS 701.010(4) ($1,000 casual exemption)
- Dollar threshold
- $1,000 casual-work exemption (ORS 701.010(4)); permit work licensed regardless
- Exam
- y — CCB 16-hr training + business-practices exam only, no trade exam
- Local overlay
- n — statewide code + statewide DEQ regime; local air (LRAPA/Medford) adds curtailment only
- Confidence
- high (licensing on official host); medium-high (468A on mirror) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Oregon?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- CCB contractor license only — Oregon issues NO individual mechanical/gas-fitter license, so NG gas-fireplace service / log install / appliance connection = any CCB-licensed contractor pulling a mechanical permit (ORSC/OMSC/IFGC); plumbing license (ORS 693) does NOT cover fuel-gas appliance work (carried from July); BCD 'Limited Maintenance Specialty Contractor' business license fits service-only HVAC/hearth shops; LP SPLIT IS SHARP: 'A person may not engage in or work at the business of installing, extending, altering or repairing any LP gas appliance or piping' without State Fire Marshal licensure (ORS 480.432) — OSFM issues Fitter (individual), Company Representative and Truck Operator licenses and states 'ALL work done on LPG systems must be completed by persons licensed for LPG work'; no chimney-named class
- Issuing body
- Oregon CCB (contracting layer); BCD (permits/LMS); State Fire Marshal (LP)
- Statute
- ORS 701.021 (license duty), 701.010(4) (casual-work exemption); ORS 480.432, 480.450 (LPG); ORS 693 (plumbing — fuel gas absent)
- Dollar threshold
- $1,000 casual/minor-work exemption (ORS 701.010(4); void if advertising as a contractor)
- Exam
- y (CCB 16-hr pre-license training + 80-question law exam, 70%; SFM LPG fitter exam — not re-verified; NO NG trade exam)
- Local overlay
- n (Portland city gas license not found — UNVERIFIED)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas log installation: is a credential required in Oregon?
#gas-log-installLICENSE- Credential
- LP lane tracked separately: a propane log-set/appliance connection requires SFM LPG licensure — individual Fitter license plus company-level license (ORS 480.432: no person may install, extend, alter or repair any LP gas appliance or piping without it), and the installer must report new installations monthly to SFM and pay $50 per tank installed (or for all tanks at an installation totaling 200 gallons or less) (ORS 480.450) — while the identical natural-gas job requires NO individual credential (CCB + mechanical permit only); the mismatch axis in Oregon is fuel type, not trade
- Issuing body
- Oregon State Fire Marshal (LPG program)
- Statute
- ORS 480.432, 480.450
- Dollar threshold
- none ($0 — all LP work)
- Exam
- y (LPG fitter exam — not re-verified)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does Oregon require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license (CCB, ORS 701, casual work > $1,000; BCD trade layer; SFM LP layer)
- Liability minimum
- per-occurrence GL tiered by endorsement (CCB Endorsement Chart 11/2024): Residential General $500,000 / Residential Specialty $300,000 / Residential Limited $100,000 / Residential Developer $500,000 / Commercial General L1 $2M agg / L2 $1M agg / Commercial Specialty L1 $1M agg / L2 $500,000 — COI filed with CCB and CCB named certificate holder = STATE-VERIFIED
- Bond
- surety bond tiered by endorsement (ORS 701.068/.081; current post-HB 2922 amounts): Residential General $25,000 / Residential Specialty $20,000 / Residential Limited $15,000 / Commercial General L1 $80,000 / L2 $25,000 / Commercial Specialty L1 $55,000 / L2 $25,000; dual-endorsement firms carry TWO bonds; claim path: CCB complaint + court judgment or arbitration award, then the surety must pay up to the bond (ORS 701.145–.150) — no judgment, no bond recovery; older $10k/$20k/$75k figures circulating are STALE (debunk)
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no recovery/guaranty fund in ORS 701 (absence verified); the bond routed through the CCB complaint process is the sole instrument
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 subject worker (ORS 656.017; nonsubject workers at ORS 656.027 — sole props, partners, certain corporate officers/LLC members); ARTIFACT: every CCB license is issued as 'EXEMPT' (no employees) or 'NONEXEMPT' (must carry WC as a license condition — ORS 701.035; OAR 812-003-0250), so WC posture is printed in the license registry itself
- How to verify
- CCB lookup shows endorsement class, bond, insurance, exempt/nonexempt WC class, and complaint history (AUTOMATED); Oregon WCD proof-of-coverage search www4.cbs.state.or.us/exs/wcd/cov/ (state-run, not NCCI); SFM LPG license roster for the LP lane
- 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 Oregon?
- 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.