West 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 recordWV LAW

For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see West Virginia chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.

Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in West Virginia?

#stove-installLICENSE

Credential: CONDITIONAL license — the statute draws the line at PRIMARY HEAT: 'heating system'... 'does not include a fireplace or wood-burning stove not incorporated into or used as a primary heating system' (§ 21-16-2(b)(1)), so a wood/pellet stove used AS or incorporated INTO a primary heating system requires the individual HVAC Technician / HVAC Residential Technician license (Div. of Labor, exam, required since 1/1/2016, NO dollar floor) while decorative/supplemental stoves need nothing at the person level; firm layer: WVCLB contractor license with HVAC classification (§ 30-42-3(h)) at >= $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial; masonry fireplace construction = Masonry contractor classification (28 CSR 2 § 3.25, an EXAMINED class under § 6.2; rule eff. 5/4/2026 never mentions chimneys); homeowner/immediate-family exemption § 21-16-3(d)(1); routine maintenance exempt (d)(4); code: 87 CSR 4 (State Fire Commission) = 2018 IRC/IMC (read from the 2026 draft strike-through, DOC), 2024 update in progress (notice 6/29/2026), local adoption VOLUNTARY (§ 15A-11-5(a))
Issuing body: WV Division of Labor (HVAC technician license); WV Contractor Licensing Board (firm license); State Fire Commission (code)
Statute: W. Va. Code §§ 21-16-2(b)(1), 21-16-3; § 30-42-3(d)+(h); § 15A-11-5; 28 CSR 2 §§ 3.25, 6.2; 87 CSR 4
Dollar threshold: $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial (firm layer); technician license has no threshold when primary heat
Exam: y (HVAC technician exam; contractor classification + Business & Law exams)
Local overlay: y — code + permits only in opt-in jurisdictions (Charleston/Huntington/Morgantown adopted per July; large rural swaths have no permit regime)
Confidence: high; UNVERIFIED how 'primary heating system' is determined in DOL practice · checked 2026-09-25
Sources: GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/21-16-2GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/21-16-3GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/30-42-3GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/15A-11-5GOVapps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/rule.aspxGOVapps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/rule.aspx

Chimney flashing: is a credential required in West Virginia?

#chimney-flashingLICENSE

Credential: WVCLB Specialty classification 'Roofing' (010 per the WVCLB Candidate Information Bulletin) — RESOLVED on the rule: 28 CSR 2 (eff. 5/4/2026) does not define a roofing contractor and Roofing is NOT among the 17 examined classifications in § 6.2, so it is an untested specialty (Business & Law exam only) — required when a flashing/leak-repair undertaking costs >= $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial (§ 30-42-3(d): below the threshold the work is not 'contracting' and needs NO license); most standalone chimney-flashing repairs price under $5,000, so WV flashing work is unlicensed in practice; counterflashing cut into brick could alternatively sit under the examined Masonry classification (28 CSR 2 § 3.25); no 28 CSR 2 definition mentions flashing or chimneys
Issuing body: WV Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor)
Statute: W. Va. Code § 30-42-3(d); 28 CSR 2 §§ 3.25, 6.2 (eff. 5/4/2026)
Dollar threshold: $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial
Exam: y (Business & Law only; no roofing trade exam)
Local overlay: y — permits only in State-Building-Code opt-in jurisdictions
Confidence: high · checked 2026-09-25
Sources: GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/30-42-3GOVapps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspxGOVwvclboard.wv.govDOCprovexam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/…

Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in West Virginia?

#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE

Credential: Two layers with a decorative carve-out: (1) individual HVAC Technician / HVAC Residential Technician license (§ 21-16-3: required 'on and after January 1, 2016' for work on a heating, ventilating and cooling system; exam) — BUT the statutory 'heating system' definition EXCLUDES 'a fireplace or wood-burning stove not incorporated into or used as a primary heating system' (§ 21-16-2(b)(1)), so a DECORATIVE gas fireplace falls outside it; homeowner (d)(1) and routine-maintenance (d)(4) exemptions; (2) firm needs a WV Contractor License with HVAC (§ 30-42-3(h)) or Plumbing classification — plumbing contractor definition expressly includes 'installation of gas piping' (§ 30-42-3(m)) — at >= $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial; both HVAC and plumbing are examined classifications (28 CSR 2 § 6.2, eff. 5/4/2026); LP vs NG split: the State Fire Code rule must include 'training standards and qualifications for persons who install or maintain liquefied petroleum gas systems' (§ 15A-11-3(a)) — an LP-specific Fire Marshal lane; Contractor Licensing Act recodified from § 21-11 to ch. 30 art. 42 ($2,500 → $5,000/$25,000)
Issuing body: WV Division of Labor (HVAC technician license); WV Contractor Licensing Board (contractor license); State Fire Commission / State Fire Marshal (LP-gas training standards)
Statute: W. Va. Code §§ 21-16-2, 21-16-3 (HVAC); §§ 30-42-3, 30-42-6, 30-42-7 (contractor licensing); § 15A-11-3 (State Fire Code / LP-gas); 28 CSR 2 (classifications); HVAC rule cite 42 CSR 34 from July not re-verified
Dollar threshold: $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial (contractor-license layer); technician license has no dollar threshold
Exam: y (HVAC technician exam; contractor classification exams)
Local overlay: n (§ 30-42-20: state licensing exclusive of local licensing)
Confidence: high · checked 2026-09-25
Sources: GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/21-16-2GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/21-16-3GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/30-42-3GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/30-42-6GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/15A-11-3GOVapps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/rule.aspxGOVwvclboard.wv.gov/verify

What insurance does West Virginia require of contractors?

#insurance

Regime: license (WV Contractor License >= $5k residential — ch. 30 art. 42 recodified from 21-11; HVAC technician certification 21-16)
Liability minimum: NONE found — the recodified Contractor Licensing Act (W. Va. Code ch. 30 art. 42, §§ -3, -6, -7 fetched) and the HVAC act (§21-16) contain no GL-insurance requirement; SEO/insurance-site claims that 'all licensed WV contractors must carry general liability' are UNSUPPORTED by statute (board-rule requirement UNVERIFIED); application requires proof of WC + unemployment compliance, not GL
Bond: WAGE BOND, not a consumer bond: employers 'engaged in or about to engage in construction work' new to WV must post a bond = 4 weeks gross wages + fringe benefits + 15%, filed with Division of Labor (W. Va. Code §21-5-14; WV DOL wage-bond guide); protects EMPLOYEE WAGES, not consumers; exemption after operating in WV (1 yr per DOL guide vs 5 yrs per other sources — duration UNVERIFIED); no consumer license bond
Guaranty fund: none — no guaranty/recovery fund
Workers' comp threshold: 1 employee triggers; exemptions: casual employers (fewer than 3 employees on temporary jobs <=10 days/quarter), domestic service, agriculture <=5 full-time, churches (W. Va. C.S.R. §85-8-4); sole props exempt for themselves; letter-of-exemption process via Insurance Commissioner
How to verify: insurance: nothing to verify for GL; contractor license lookup labor.wv.gov / wvclboard.wv.gov (AUTOMATED); WC public lookup: WV Offices of the Insurance Commissioner employer coverage search
Confidence: high (statute absences + WC); medium (wage-bond exemption duration) · checked 2026-07-10
Sources: GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/pdf/30-42-6GOVcode.wvlegislature.gov/pdf/30-42-7GOVlabor.wv.gov/media/28/downloadREFlaw.cornell.edu/regulations/west-virginia/W…

Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states

Before anyone goes on your roof

What should you ask a chimney company in West 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.