Chimney inspections when you buy or sell a house in Pennsylvania
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
Does a chimney need its own inspection when a house changes hands?
The national chimney standard says so, the state laws on seller disclosure and home inspections do not mention it, and a number of municipalities require it. The three parts are worth separating, because it is easy to assume that the home inspection covers the chimney. It covers less than that.
The standard first. In the summary published by CSIA, the trade's certification body, a Level II chimney inspection is required upon the sale or transfer of a property. That is the level that goes beyond the routine check into the accessible parts of the attic, crawl space and basement, and may include a camera in the flue.
What does Pennsylvania require a seller to disclose?
The state's seller disclosure law requires a property disclosure statement that covers a list of subjects. The list includes the roof, structural problems, and heating and air conditioning. It does not name chimneys or fireplaces as a subject of their own, though the law lets a seller use a form that asks for more detail.
One related item is specific. Under the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act, the seller of a residential building must disclose on that statement what carbon monoxide detectors are installed.
A disclosure statement is not an inspection, and nothing in the list of subjects sends anyone up the flue.
What does a home inspection cover?
The outside and the obvious. Pennsylvania's home inspection law defines a home inspection as a noninvasive visual examination of a dwelling's systems and components.
The standard of practice of the American Society of Home Inspectors, the inspectors' own trade association, shows where the line falls. Its members inspect fireplaces, stoves, chimneys and vent systems. They are not required to:
- inspect the interiors of vent systems, flues and chimneys that are not readily accessible;
- determine draft characteristics;
- move fireplace inserts, stoves or the contents of a firebox.
The standard also says an inspection under it is not technically exhaustive and need not identify concealed conditions. A cracked flue tile halfway up the chimney is the kind of defect that can go unseen. If a home inspection report refers the chimney to a specialist, the note is worth acting on.
Which local codes require a chimney inspection or certificate at sale?
Several in the Philadelphia suburbs do. These are the ones found in municipal codes and on township pages for this guide. Rules change, so confirm with the municipality.
| Municipality | County | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Middletown Township | Bucks | A level 2 chimney inspection is required for all homes being sold |
| Bristol Township | Bucks | The seller must deliver a licensed contractor's certification that the chimney has been inspected |
| Morrisville Borough | Bucks | Inspection and certification of a chimney serving a fireplace, woodstove or oil flue on a change of occupancy |
| New Britain Township | Bucks | Fireplaces, chimneys and wood stoves are visually inspected before a use and occupancy certificate |
| Yeadon Borough | Delaware | A chimney certification is among the requirements for a certificate of occupancy on transfer |
| West Conshohocken Borough | Montgomery | Written proof that the chimney is in good and safe operating condition |
Some details matter for timing. Middletown says the inspection must be done by a certified chimney contractor and a copy sent to its Department of Fire and Emergency Management. Bristol's code makes it unlawful to sell without delivering the chimney certification to the buyer at or before settlement. New Britain holds its inspections not more than 45 days and not less than 14 days before settlement. Morrisville will not issue its certification until every inspected item is in good working condition, and allows only contractors registered in the borough to carry out the inspection.
If your town is not on this list, that proves nothing. Ask its code office what a resale certificate requires before you list.
What does a Level 2 inspection cost?
The published national ranges are $260 to $460 from Angi, $250 to $600 from HomeGuide and $145 to $750 from Forbes Home. HomeGuide describes it as a full video-recorded inspection of the flue, roof and crawl space or basement. Both Angi and Forbes Home recommend one when a home is being bought or sold, and Forbes Home says to have it done before listing.
A new liner or a rebuilt stack, by comparison, runs to thousands of dollars in the same surveys.
What should a buyer ask for?
- The last inspection report. Ask the seller when the chimney was last inspected and swept, and for the paperwork. If there is none, treat the chimney as uninspected.
- A Level 2 by a sweep you choose. Ask for the photographs or video as part of the report.
- The history of any stove or insert. Adding an appliance is one of the events that calls for a fuller inspection under the standard, so ask when it went in and who installed it.
- What the flue serves. A chimney with no fireplace in use may still vent the furnace or the water heater.
What should a seller do, and when?
Book the inspection before the house is listed, not after an offer. A defect found early can be repaired on your schedule, and one found a week before settlement cannot. If repairs follow, they are home improvement work under state law: a written contract above $500, the contractor's registration number and three business days to cancel. What Pennsylvania requires sets that out.
In the Bucks County towns in the table the inspection is a condition of the sale itself, and the Bucks County guide goes through each rule. Level 1, 2 and 3 chimney inspections explains what each level includes. Businesses that carry them out are on the chimney sweeps directory page.
Sources
- Industry Standard for Inspections Developed to Aid Homeowners, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- 68 Pa.C.S. Chapter 73: Seller Disclosures, Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act (Act 121 of 2013), Pennsylvania General Assembly
- 68 Pa.C.S. Chapter 75: Home Inspections, Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Standard of Practice, American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)
- FAQs: Fire & Emergency Services, Middletown Township, Bucks County
- Code of the Township of Bristol, Chapter 154: Real Property, Sale of, Township of Bristol, Bucks County
- Code of the Township of New Britain, Chapter 4: Buildings, Township of New Britain, Bucks County
- Code of the Borough of Morrisville, Chapter 129, Article II: Building Code, Borough of Morrisville, Bucks County
- Code of the Borough of Yeadon, Chapter 300, Article II: Administration, Enforcement and Penalty, Borough of Yeadon, Delaware County
- Code of the Borough of West Conshohocken, Chapter 65: Housing Standards, Borough of West Conshohocken, Montgomery County
- How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost? [2026 Data], Angi
- How much does a chimney sweep cost?, HomeGuide
- How Much Does A Chimney Cleaning Cost?, Forbes Home
- Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General