Chimney questions, answered — Tacoma & the South Sound.

Every year, at a minimum. NFPA 211, the fire-safety standard that covers chimneys and solid-fuel appliances, wants every chimney, fireplace and vent looked at annually, to confirm it is structurally sound, free of deposits and correctly clear of combustible materials. Source: Chimney Safety Institute of America — Homeowner Resources (https://www.csia.org/homeowner-resources, accessed September 24, 2026).

NFPA 211 sets three levels. Level I is the annual inspection that goes with routine cleaning; Level II covers every accessible part of the system, attic, basement and crawl space included, and CSIA's procedure adds a video scan of the flue; Level III takes components apart, and only when that is the sole way to get at hidden areas. Sources: NFPA — NFPA 211 (2026 cycle) committee input statements, Chapter 15 inspection levels (https://docinfofiles.nfpa.org/files/AboutTheCodes/211/211_A2026_CHI_AAA_FD_CIStatements.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026); CSIA — Level 2 Inspection SOP (masonry fireplace) (https://web.csia.org/external/wcpages/wcmedia/documents/CSIA_Level2_MasonryFireplace%20Revision%20Final.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026).

Not by state law, as far as the sources we checked show — but the national standard points to one. The inspection chapter of NFPA 211 lists the sale or transfer of a property as a reason for a Level II inspection, and CSIA recommends one when a home is sold. Both are national guidance, not a Washington requirement. Sources: NFPA — NFPA 211 (2026 cycle) committee input statements, Chapter 15 inspection levels (https://docinfofiles.nfpa.org/files/AboutTheCodes/211/211_A2026_CHI_AAA_FD_CIStatements.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026); CSIA — Level 2 Inspection SOP (masonry fireplace) (https://web.csia.org/external/wcpages/wcmedia/documents/CSIA_Level2_MasonryFireplace%20Revision%20Final.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026).

Yes — NFPA 211 and CSIA call for a Level II inspection after a seismic event, a chimney or building fire, or severe weather likely to have damaged the chimney, as well as before relining and when an appliance is changed for a different type. Chimneys are exposed here: after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, FEMA records showed chimney damage on one-third of the 30,000 homes it inspected. Sources: NFPA — NFPA 211 (2026 cycle) committee input statements, Chapter 15 inspection levels (https://docinfofiles.nfpa.org/files/AboutTheCodes/211/211_A2026_CHI_AAA_FD_CIStatements.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026); CSIA — Level 2 Inspection SOP (masonry fireplace) (https://web.csia.org/external/wcpages/wcmedia/documents/CSIA_Level2_MasonryFireplace%20Revision%20Final.pdf, accessed September 24, 2026); USGS Open-File Report 03-211 — Nisqually, Washington, Earthquake (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-211/NisquallyFinal.html, accessed September 24, 2026).

Not during a Stage 1 or Stage 2 ban, unless the device is your home's only adequate heat source and an exemption has been approved. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency calls the bans in Pierce County. Stage 1 halts burning in wood fireplaces and in any stove or insert without certification; Stage 2 stops every wood fireplace, wood stove and insert, certified or not, and pellet stoves too. The state rule behind them is WAC 173-433-150. Sources: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) — About Air Quality Burn Bans (https://pscleanair.gov/172/About-Air-Quality-Burn-Bans, accessed September 24, 2026); WAC 173-433-150 Curtailment (via Cornell LII) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/washington/WAC-173-433-150, accessed September 24, 2026).

Check Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which posts burn ban status on its website and its phone line and sends email alerts. In Tacoma, the Fire Department adds that burning during a burn ban order, or burning illegal fuel, can bring a citation from the department. Sources: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — Air Quality Burn Ban Status (https://pscleanair.gov/168/Air-Quality-Burn-Ban-Status, accessed September 24, 2026); City of Tacoma — Burn Ban Information (Tacoma Fire Department) (https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/fire/burn-ban-information/, accessed September 24, 2026).

Then you can apply to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for a 'No Other Adequate Source of Heat' exemption, and you must have it approved before burning during a ban. The agency says the high cost of your main heat, or a furnace that is temporarily broken, does not qualify, and visible smoke is still prohibited. Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — No Other Adequate Source of Heat (https://pscleanair.gov/171/No-Other-Adequate-Source-of-Heat, accessed September 24, 2026).

Not inside the Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone. Since October 1, 2015 it has been illegal there to buy, sell, give away, reinstall or operate an uncertified wood stove or insert; it must be removed and recycled or made inoperable, unless the household has no other adequate heat source. EPA- and Oregon-certified stoves are not affected, and open fireplaces are outside this rule but still cannot be used during a burn ban. The agency publishes the zone as a map, so check your address against it. Sources: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — Tacoma-Pierce County Wood Stove Rule (https://pscleanair.gov/547/Tacoma-Pierce-Stove-Rule, accessed September 24, 2026); Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — FAQs, Tacoma-Pierce County Wood Stove Rule (https://pscleanair.gov/faq.aspx?TID=33, accessed September 24, 2026).

Look for the EPA compliance label, usually on the back or side of the stove. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency notes that solid metal doors, or two glass doors, suggest an uncertified stove, and that a 'UL Tested' plate is not the same thing as EPA certification. Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — FAQs, Tacoma-Pierce County Wood Stove Rule (https://pscleanair.gov/faq.aspx?TID=33, accessed September 24, 2026).

Yes. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency pays homeowners in Pierce County who recycle a working uncertified wood stove or insert, a certified one that does not meet the 2020 EPA standards, or a wood-burning furnace or coal-burning device. The owner removes the unit and takes it to an approved recycler; the agency's recycling page lists the current amount and conditions. Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — Wood Stove Recycling Program (https://pscleanair.gov/409/Wood-Stove-Recycling-Program, accessed September 24, 2026).

Only dry, seasoned wood or manufactured logs. Garbage, treated wood, plastics and paper (except to start the fire) are prohibited, and the smoke leaving the chimney cannot run denser than 20 percent opacity for six straight minutes within any hour, under WAC 173-433-120 and the agency's Regulation I. Source: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency — Legal Overview (https://pscleanair.gov/170/Legal-Overview, accessed September 24, 2026).

In the cities we checked, yes. Puyallup requires a mechanical permit to install, replace, alter or relocate a wood or gas stove, gas logs or gas piping, and Gig Harbor requires a permit for work regulated by the building and residential codes, apart from listed exemptions. In Tacoma's local historic districts, exterior changes to contributing buildings — the City names chimneys — may also need design review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission when a permit is required. The permit counter of your own city has the last word on a given job. Sources: City of Puyallup — Building Permit Applications (https://www.puyallupwa.gov/242/Building-Permit-Applications, accessed September 24, 2026); City of Gig Harbor — Building Permits (https://www.gigharborwa.gov/209/Building-Permits, accessed September 24, 2026); City of Tacoma — Tacoma's Historic Districts & Landmarks (https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/tacomas-historic-districts-landmarks/, accessed September 24, 2026).

The 2021 Washington State codes, which took effect on March 15, 2024; the residential code is built on the 2021 IRC, as amended by the state. The next cycle, built on the 2024 codes, is scheduled to take effect on May 3, 2027. Sources: Washington State Building Code Council — Revised effective date for 2021 codes: March 15, 2024 (https://sbcc.wa.gov/news/revised-effective-date-2021-codes-march-15-2024, accessed September 24, 2026); Washington State Building Code Council — 2024 Code Adoption Cycle (https://sbcc.wa.gov/2024-code-adoption-cycle, accessed September 24, 2026).

$99 plus tax per chimney, whatever level of inspection it turns out to need. Approve the written quote that comes after it, and the $99 plus tax is taken off the price of the work.

It comes off the bill: approve our quote and the $99 plus tax is deducted from the work you go ahead with. Decline the work and the inspection stays payable: it pays for the visit, and the written report and itemized quote remain yours.

Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan. After the visit you get a written report of the findings and, if anything needs doing, an itemized quote with photos; no work begins before you approve its price.

Tacoma, University Place, Gig Harbor, Fircrest, Puyallup, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Fife, DuPont and Milton, all in Pierce County, Washington. Each of these 12 communities has a page on this site with the services available there. Outside those, please call before booking.

You can book online through the calendar on this site, which holds a real slot, or phone us on (253) 313-7601. About the appointment we contact you by email and phone only — never by text message — and we never sell or hand your details to anyone else for marketing.

A chimney sweep runs $189–$449, a gas fireplace service $189–$475, and a relining from $1,900. Each of the 12 services has its price on our price page; your chimney's own figure goes into the written quote after the $99 plus tax inspection, and nothing begins until you approve it.