# Chimney Sweep Cost: What Sweeps Actually Publish (2026)

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Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com)
Published: September 4, 2026
Updated: October 5, 2026
Category: Project Cost Guides
Summary: Chimney sweep cost from the two companies that publish a real price list: $335 to $359 for a sweep with inspection, plus what the NFPA 211 levels cover.

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## Chimney Sweep Cost: What Sweeps Actually Publish

We pulled sixteen chimney company and association pages. Two post a price list. Here is what they charge.

At a glance

1. A sweep including an inspection is published at $335 in Chicago and $359 in Vermont, captured August 29, 2026.
2. A camera assisted inspection is published at $295 to $359 across the same two.
3. An inspection with no cleaning is published at $205, by one company. One reading, not a rate.
4. Only two of the sixteen chimney surfaces we checked publish a service price at all.
5. Nobody in the set prices a Level 3, so this page does not either.
6. Fires confined to chimneys, flues or fuel burners were 77 percent of residential building heating fires in the 2017 to 2019 study period.

## What a chimney sweep cost actually buys

In essence, a sweep visit is two jobs in one. The cleaning pulls combustible deposits out of the flue, smoke chamber and firebox. Meanwhile, the inspection decides whether the chimney is safe to keep using, and NFPA’s own committee draft of the chimney inspection chapter is blunt about it: the check must confirm the flue is “free of combustible deposits and blockage or obstruction,” and inspections “shall be conducted by a qualified agency.”

Because of that pairing, a chimney sweep cost is one flat number, not an hourly rate. Chimney repair, if the inspection turns something up, is priced separately.

## Two published price lists

Both post these figures publicly. Captured August 29, 2026.

| Service, as the company names it | Chimney Monkey, Chicago IL | Chimney Savers, Vermont |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sweep with inspection included | $335, flue, smoke chamber, firebox, Level 1 included | $359 first flue, sweep if needed plus camera scan, 30 point inspection |
| Camera assisted inspection | $295, Level 2, camera survey of the flue | $359, sweep with internal camera scan, stated to satisfy Level 2 |
| Inspection, no cleaning | $205, visual with photographs | not published |
| Each additional flue, same visit | not published | $259 |
| Emergency or out of area | not published | $100 minimum added to the service price |
| Level 3 inspection | not published | not published |

In other words, the market is thin. For instance, the $205 and $259 rows each rest on one company. However, both sides agree on the sweep with an inspection, $335 to $359.

## Why a chimney sweep cost is so hard to find

Indeed, that gap is the finding. Of sixteen chimney surfaces we pulled, only two carry service dollars. Additionally, eight more serve a live page with no price, and six are dead links, a stub, or a domain parked for sale. One keeps a pricing URL live with no number inside it.

Likewise, CSIA tells homeowners that “prices vary from region to region” and that “you should expect a charge for the services rendered.” So when a result hands you a tidy national chimney sweep cost range, ask which company published it. Usually none did.

## Publish your own number instead

In short, the winners of this search put a flat rate on a page. So to join them, you need your own cost per visit. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds, with a unit, quantity and price on every line. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.

## The three inspection levels, and which one you are paying for

As a rule, invoice level numbers come from NFPA 211. Because the standard is paywalled, the definitions below are quoted from the committee draft of Chapter 15 on NFPA’s own document server.

1. Level I, bundled with a sweep Used “when verification of the suitability of the chimney or flue for continued service, under the same conditions and with the same or similar appliance or appliances, is needed.” It covers readily accessible parts of the chimney, appliance and connection, and rides along with a routine cleaning.
2. Level II, triggered by a sale Indicated “when verification of the suitability of the chimney for new or changed conditions of service is needed or when a Level I inspection is not sufficient.” Named circumstances include sale of the property and any chimney fire or weather event likely to have caused damage. Scope reaches accessible attics, crawl spaces and basements, with “image scanning equipment.”
3. Level III, nobody prices it Reserved “for concealed areas,” and required only where a problem “cannot be properly evaluated by a Level I or Level II inspection.” Getting there can mean “removal or destruction of permanently attached portions of the chimney.” Anyone quoting a flat Level 3 number is guessing.
4. How often to book one Above all, the USFA asks homeowners to “maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected each year by a professional.” Behind that line: 27,900 residential heating fires in 2023.

## What federal wage data says about the labor

Surprisingly little, and worth knowing before arguing a quote. The May 2025 federal wage survey publishes 830 detailed occupations and not one is a chimney sweep, so our trade wage table has no chimney row either. The closest published occupation is 47-4090, Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers, at $26.51 mean hourly. Masonry sits higher at $32.83, inspectors at $37.37. A flat rate near $350 buys a visit, a truck, cameras, insurance and a technician paid inside that spread. That is the arithmetic behind the chimney sweep cost you are quoted.

## Keep reading

- Contractor Hourly Labor Rates by Trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/)
- Flat Rate vs Hourly Plumbing Pricing (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/flat-rate-vs-hourly-plumbing-pricing/)
- Handyman Pricing: 6 Steps to Price Jobs for Profit (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/handyman-pricing-guide-maximum-profit/)

## Sources

- Chimney Monkey (https://chimneymonkey.com/typical-chimney-sweep-price/) (Chicago flat rates; 2026-08-29).
- Chimney Savers (https://www.chimneysaversvt.com/chimney-sweep-inspection-pricing/) (Vermont flat rates, CSIA certified; 2026-08-29).
- NFPA 211 Chapter 15 committee input document (https://docinfofiles.nfpa.org/files/AboutTheCodes/211/211_A2026_CHI_AAA_FD_CIStatements.pdf) (level definitions verbatim; a First Draft document, not the published standard; 2026-08-29).
- USFA, heating fire safety (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/heating/) (the annual clean and inspect line; 2026-08-29).
- USFA, heating fire trends (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/residential-fires/heating.html) (2023 estimates) and Heating Fires in Residential Buildings 2017 to 2019 (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/reports/fire-causes/heating-fires-residential-buildings-v21i10.html) (the 77 percent confined share; both 2026-08-29).
- Chimney Safety Institute of America (https://www.csia.org/after-chimney-fire) (region to region pricing language; 2026-08-29).
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national file (https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) (47-4090 wages and the 830 occupation scan, cross-checked against the API; 2026-08-29).
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator, App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664) (4.8 rating; 2026-08-29).

## Chimney sweep cost: common questions

**What is a fair chimney sweep cost in 2026?**

Two companies publish real price lists: $335 in Chicago, $359 in Vermont, for a sweep with an inspection. Inside that range is defensible. Well outside it, ask about scope.

**Why will most chimney companies not quote a price online?**

Only two of the sixteen surfaces we checked publish a service price, and the trade body tells homeowners prices vary by region. Most published ranges come from lead sites.

**How often should a chimney be swept?**

The U.S. Fire Administration asks for a professional clean and inspection each year. NFPA’s committee draft treats that annual check as a Level 1, the level bundled into a sweep.

**What does a Level 2 inspection add?**

Camera work inside the flue, plus accessible attic, crawl space and basement runs. A property sale and any fire or weather damage both call for one. Published at $295 to $359 here.

**Can SimplyWise price service calls like these?**

SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized, branded estimate in about 6 seconds, with a unit, quantity and price on every line.

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