Tennessee: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 3 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordTN LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Tennessee chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Tennessee?
#stove-installNONE- Credential
- Nothing statewide below $25,000 — the contractor license (mechanical classifications) attaches only at >= $25,000 (prime; subcontractors for mechanical/HVAC portions >= $25,000), a price ordinary stove/insert installs never reach; the sub-$25k gas lanes (Limited Licensed Plumber, Nashville/Memphis gas certificates) are fuel-gas-only and do not reach solid fuel; COUNTY LAYER: Home Improvement license for $3,000–$24,999 residential remodeling in the 9 HI counties (Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby; $10,000 bond), which captures stove installs in Nashville/Memphis/Knoxville/Chattanooga; CODE: 2018 IRC statewide via SFMO (eff. 7/16/2020; no 2024 IRC adoption) but local governments may OPT OUT of one- and two-family enforcement (§ 68-120-101 et seq.; SFMO's opt-out page explains owner-requested state inspections but lists NO jurisdictions — no public opt-out list located)
- Issuing body
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors; TDCI State Fire Marshal's Office (code); county HI programs
- Statute
- T.C.A. § 62-6-102 ($25k); T.C.A. § 62-6-501 et seq. (HI; TDCI cites 62-6-501(4)(A)); SFMO adopted codes (2018 IRC); T.C.A. § 68-120-101 et seq. (opt-out)
- Dollar threshold
- $25,000 (contractor license); $3,000 (HI license, 9 counties)
- Exam
- y (B&L + trade exams at >= $25k; HI license no trade exam)
- Local overlay
- y — 9 HI counties; opt-out/non-code jurisdictions (no public list)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in Tennessee?
#chimney-flashingLICENSE- Credential
- Contractor license with roofing classification at >= $25,000 — TDCI: subcontractors must be licensed when contracting with a contractor (not the owner) to perform electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC or ROOFING work when that portion is $25,000 or more (a roofing sub cannot ride the prime's license; the July '1/1/2014' start date is not stated on the TDCI page and was dropped); $3,000–$24,999: Home Improvement license in the 9 HI counties only ($10,000 HI bond); below $3,000 or outside those counties: nothing; most standalone chimney-flashing repairs price under $25k, so the 9-county HI layer is the operative gate for the trade
- Issuing body
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors; county HI programs
- Statute
- T.C.A. § 62-6-102 (license >= $25k incl. roofing subs); § 62-6-501 et seq. (HI)
- Dollar threshold
- $25,000 (state license); $3,000 (HI license, 9 counties)
- Exam
- y (B&L + trade exam at >= $25k)
- Local overlay
- y — 9 HI counties
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Tennessee?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Dollar-split regime: >= $25,000 = state Contractor license (prime; subcontractors too for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC or roofing portions >= $25,000) with CMC-A (Mechanical — plumbing and gas piping) or full CMC classification — CLASSIFICATION WORDING NOT RE-VERIFIED (TDCI classification-outline PDF now 404); BELOW $25,000 NG: no statewide mechanical license, BUT the Limited Licensed Plumber (T.C.A. 62-6-401 et seq.) reaches gas — 'plumbing work' includes 'piping, fixtures and appliances for the supply of gas, water, liquids...' within residential or commercial buildings (§ 62-6-402), required under $25k where no municipal/county plumbing-licensing program governs (§ 62-6-406, not re-read); real sub-$25k gatekeepers are LOCAL: Metro Nashville Gas and Appliance Installer certificates, Memphis/Shelby gas permits (not re-verified); LP vs NG SPLIT: LP is dollar-blind statewide — State Fire Marshal licenses LP businesses in Classes 1–5 (Class 1 = any phase incl. installs; Class 2 = sell and install ICC cylinders; Class 3 'May not sell or install any type container or appliance'); MISMATCH: chimney work < $25k is state-invisible while the gas-log connection is captured by LP licensing, LLP, or city gas certificates
- Issuing body
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Dept. of Commerce & Insurance); State Fire Marshal (LP, T.C.A. 68-135); Metro Nashville / Memphis-Shelby code boards (local gas certificates)
- Statute
- Tenn. Code § 62-6-102 ($25k threshold); §§ 62-6-401 to -416 (Limited Licensed Plumber, gas in § 62-6-402); §§ 68-135-101, -103, -104 (LP classes)
- Dollar threshold
- $25,000 (contractor license); LLP under $25k; LP licensing has NO dollar floor
- Exam
- y (CMC/CMC-A trade exams; LLP exam; LP = experience/NPGA training, no state exam found — medium)
- Local overlay
- y — Nashville Gas and Appliance certificate + registration with Codes Administration; Memphis/Shelby gas permits; 9-county Home Improvement license layer $3,000–$24,999
- Confidence
- high (thresholds, LLP, LP classes); medium (CMC-A wording, local certificates) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does Tennessee require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license >= $25,000 (Board for Licensing Contractors); Home Improvement license $3,000–$24,999 in ~9 counties; LP dealer licenses at $0; chimney work <$25k = none
- Liability minimum
- Contractor licensees: GL tiered by the license's monetary limit — $100,000 (limit <=$500k) / $500,000 ($500,001–$1.5M) / $1,000,000 (>$1.5M), COI filed with the Board named as certificate holder = STATE-VERIFIED (amounts from the DCI insurance-information PDF via search rendering — MEDIUM-HIGH, spot-check before publish); LP dealers (§ 68-135-104): statutory schedule, Class 1 example — manufacturers/contractors BI $500,000/person + $1,000,000/accident, products $500,000/$1,000,000/$1,000,000 aggregate, auto BI $500,000/$1,000,000 + PD $20,000 — evidence filed with the State Fire Marshal; chimney work under $25,000: NONE (no credential to attach it to)
- Bond
- Home Improvement license: $10,000 surety bond (or cash/property bond or irrevocable letter of credit) filed with the Board, 'for the benefit of any person who is damaged because of the breach of the home improvement contract' (§ 62-6-506) — counties: Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby; NO bond on the contractor license itself
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no recovery/guaranty fund; the Board's complaint process is regulatory only and 'may not recover money' for consumers
- Workers' comp threshold
- 5+ employees general (§ 50-6-102); CONSTRUCTION SERVICES PROVIDERS = 1 (§ 50-6-902 — coverage regardless of employee count) UNLESS on the Exemption Registry: §§ 50-6-901–921, kept by the SECRETARY OF STATE — eligible: sole prop owning 100%, corporate officers, LLC members >=20%, partners >=20%, or >=95% family-owned; form LB-4523; $50 initial (with contractor license) / $100 (without) / $20 renewals; exemption covers the owner only — employees covered from #1; commercial-project limits per § 50-6-914(b)(2)
- How to verify
- insurance: active TN contractor license = state-verified tiered GL (scope: only >= $25k contractors); HI license = bond on file; WC: EXEMPTION REGISTRY public lookup exemptionregistry.tn.gov + tnbear.tn.gov/WC/WCFilingSearch.aspx — the best solo-operator artifact in the South batch; direct POC lookup URL UNVERIFIED
- Confidence
- high (structure); medium-high (GL tier amounts) · 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 Tennessee?
- 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.