Virginia: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·All 3 records checked Sep 2026
Public recordVA LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Virginia chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Virginia?
#stove-installLICENSE- Credential
- DPOR contractor license (Class A/B/C; HVA classification is the accepted lane) for work over $1,000; NO solid-fuel-specific tradesman credential — § 54.1-1128 defines 'tradesman' trades as electrical, plumbing and HVAC only, and the gas-fitter definitions are gas-specific, so whether an individual tradesman card is required for a pure wood-stove install is not explicit in statute (UNVERIFIED beyond classification practice); USBC permit; 2021 USBC (2021 I-Code base) in effect since 1/18/2024 (2024 USBC tentatively Oct 2027 — REF only)
- Issuing body
- VA DPOR Board for Contractors; local building officials (USBC)
- Statute
- Va. Code § 54.1-1128 (tradesman definition — solid fuel absent); § 54.1-1100 (classes: Class C 'over $1,000'); § 54.1-1103 contractor licensure; 2021 USBC
- Dollar threshold
- over $1,000 (contractor license layer)
- Exam
- y (contractor exams)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- medium · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in Virginia?
#chimney-flashingLICENSE- Credential
- DPOR contractor license (Class A/B/C) with ROC roofing specialty — 18VAC50-22-30: 'the service that provides for the installation, repair, removal, or improvement of materials common to the industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks', which is where chimney flashing/leak repair sits; the Masonry specialty is BRK (brick, block, stone and masonry units); license only for work over $1,000 — most standalone flashing repairs fall under the threshold and need no license
- Issuing body
- VA DPOR Board for Contractors
- Statute
- Va. Code §§ 54.1-1100, 54.1-1103; 18VAC50-22-30 (ROC, BRK definitions)
- Dollar threshold
- over $1,000
- Exam
- y (board exams)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Virginia?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Tradesman Gas Fitter license — 18VAC50-30-10 defines 'gas fitter' as a tradesman doing gas-fitting work 'usually within the HVAC or plumbing trades', including installation/repair of fuel gas, LP or natural gas piping, tanks, chimneys and vents, direct vents, equipment and appliances; statute § 54.1-1128 separately defines Liquefied Petroleum Gas Fitter (piping, LP tanks and appliances, excluding water heaters/boilers/central heating that need HVAC or plumbing certification) and Natural Gas Fitter Provider (INCIDENTAL repair, testing or removal of NG piping only — not new installs); firm needs a DPOR Class A/B/C contractor license for work over $1,000 (specialties GFC gas fitting, LPG, NGF per 18VAC50-22-30)
- Issuing body
- VA DPOR Board for Contractors (Tradesmen Program)
- Statute
- Va. Code §§ 54.1-1128, 54.1-1129, 54.1-1130; § 54.1-1100 (classes); 18VAC50-30-10; 18VAC50-22-30
- Dollar threshold
- over $1,000 (contractor-license layer, § 54.1-1100); tradesman duty has no threshold
- Exam
- y (§ 54.1-1130 oral or written trade exam; CE-per-renewal detail not re-verified)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
What insurance does Virginia require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license (DPOR Board for Contractors; Va. Code Title 54.1 ch. 11; required >= $1,000)
- Liability minimum
- NONE — no GL insurance requirement at any class; financial responsibility only: net worth $45k Class A (18VAC50-22-60(D)) / $15k Class B (18VAC50-22-50(D)) / Class C UNVERIFIED, attested on board form
- Bond
- $50,000 surety bond OPTIONAL alternative to net-worth showing, filed with DPOR (Va. Code 54.1-1106(C)); judgment creditors must exhaust bond first (54.1-1120.1)
- Guaranty fund
- Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund: $30,000/transaction (54.1-1123(A), 2025 cc.127/133 = HB1707/SB1059), $100,000 aggregate per regulant per biennium (raised from $40k); funded $25/initial applicant + special assessments max $50/biennium if fund <$400k (54.1-1119); trigger = UNPAID FINAL JUDGMENT vs licensed contractor for improper/dishonest conduct (fraud/misrep/gross negligence — NOT mere breach); 12-month filing
- Workers' comp threshold
- 3+ employees ('regularly in service less than three' exempt, 65.2-101 'Employee' 2.h); TRAP: subcontractors' workers count toward the total; sole prop not an employee unless elects in
- How to verify
- no GL to verify (attested net worth only); license lookup dpor.virginia.gov; WC lookup: VWC Insurance Coverage Search (workcomp.virginia.gov)
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-07-09
- Sources
Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states
Before anyone goes on your roof
What should you ask a chimney company in Virginia?
- 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.