Fall season · public guide
Have the chimney checked before the first fire
An independent homeowner index for chimney sweeping, creosote, and dryer vents. It points you to official finders and state contractor lookups. It does not invent sweep names, and it does not scrape CSIA’s roster for marketing.
How to find a sweep. CSIA publishes a public finder for homeowners at web.csia.org/directory. CSIA states that list is a public service for locating a professional or verifying credentials, and is not intended for marketing or business development. Use CSIA’s own site. Then check any required state or local contractor registration on the official lookup for that state.
How-to
When to sweep a chimney
NFPA 211 calls for an annual inspection. Sweeping is a separate step, when deposits warrant it. Fall is the practical window before heating season.
Chimney fires
Creosote and chimney fires
What creosote is, why it burns, signs a chimney fire may have already happened, and what CSIA and fire-service sources say to do next.
Not a chimney
Dryer vents are not chimneys
Lint is a different fuel, on a different path. A clothes dryer should not exhaust into a chimney. CSIA’s CDET credential is the dryer-exhaust counterpart.
Dryer vents are a separate path from chimneys — also compare dryer-vent DIY vs hire and chimney inspection limits.
State pages (verify on official lookups)
Pennsylvania
VerifyCSIA finder + PA HIC search
No statewide sweep license. Home-improvement contractors over the HICPA threshold register with the Attorney General. Chimney Sweep is a Type of Work in that search.
Massachusetts
VerifyCSIA finder + MA HIC hub
Home Improvement Contractor registration for work on existing 1–4 unit owner-occupied homes. Separate from a Construction Supervisor License.
Maryland
VerifyCSIA finder + MHIC query
Maryland Labor does not license chimney cleaning. Caps, rebuilds, and other home-improvement chimney work need an MHIC contractor license.
Virginia
VerifyCSIA finder + DPOR lookup
DPOR Board for Contractors licenses firms by class and specialty. There is no chimney-sweep-only statewide roster.
About this index
Compiled by Shortell Designs. Not a contractor. Not CSIA-endorsed. Always verify credentials on the issuing site.
Official finders (use theirs)
- CSIA Certified Sweep finder
- NCSG find a certified sweep (trade-guild membership / NCSG credentials)
- NFI Find an NFI Pro (hearth appliance specialists)
What this site will not do
- It will not invent a sweep’s name to fill an empty list.
- It will not scrape CSIA’s directory to build a marketing list.
- It will not rank contractors or sell placement on professional lists.
- Amazon Associates links (tag radontestinde-20) appear only on how-to and dryer-vent pages for relevant kits/products, marked as paid links. They do not appear on directory or state list pages. As an Amazon Associate, Shortell Designs earns from qualifying purchases.
- It is not fire-code advice. Local fire officials and the current adopted code apply to a specific building.