Chimney cricket installation: what it is and when you need it
Updated Sep 2026·National·Waterproofing & weather
What is a chimney cricket?
A chimney cricket, or saddle, is a small peaked structure on the up-slope side of a chimney that turns water and snow around the stack. Without one, both pile up against the chimney. The IRC requires one behind chimneys above a stated width on a sloped roof, with the detail depending on the chimney's width and the roof's pitch.
When is it actually needed?
When a wide chimney on a sloped roof has none, when the up-slope side is the one leaking, or when the roof is being replaced anyway.
What standard does it answer to?
NATIONAL · IRC
- The International Residential Code (IRC) — the model building code for one- and two-family homes, adopted and often amended state by state and city by city.
What should the invoice or report show?
Ask for the chimney's width measured and the code threshold named, and for the cricket's flashing detail to be written into the quote.
What does it cost?
Quote after inspection. We have no researched national range for a chimney cricket, so expect a written quote once someone has looked at the job — with the work named on its own line.
Does your state regulate this?
VARIES BY STATE
The IRC is a national model document, not state law: which edition applies to your home, if any, depends on the codes your state and city have adopted. Licensing, permits and what is allowed for a chimney cricket differ by state, and sometimes by city. Chimney flashing is one of the trades our licensing research tracks by state, and whether the code's cricket rule applies depends on the code edition your area has adopted. Our 50-state laws table and licensing by state set out what each state requires.
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Questions about a chimney cricket
When is a chimney cricket needed?
When a wide chimney on a sloped roof has none, when the up-slope side is the one leaking, or when the roof is being replaced anyway. The work answers to the IRC.
Is a chimney cricket regulated by state law?
The IRC is a national model document, not state law: which edition applies to your home, if any, depends on the codes your state and city have adopted. Licensing, permits and what is allowed for a chimney cricket differ by state, and sometimes by city. Chimney flashing is one of the trades our licensing research tracks by state, and whether the code's cricket rule applies depends on the code edition your area has adopted. Our 50-state laws table and licensing by state set out what each state requires.
What should I ask before agreeing to a chimney cricket?
Ask for the chimney's width measured and the code threshold named, and for the cricket's flashing detail to be written into the quote.