Chimney sweep

You can find out who your responsible chimney sweep is from the administration of your district, independent city or special status city.

Since 2009, there is no longer an obligation to have all tasks on your system carried out exclusively by the responsible district chimney sweep (authorized district chimney sweep). Your district chimney sweep is still responsible for inspecting your combustion system and carrying out the fireplace inspection.

Since January 2013, you have been free to choose your own chimney sweep for the non-sovereign tasks (sweeping and checking your combustion system and measuring flue gas values). Anyone who is authorized to carry out chimney sweeping activities in Germany is entered in a chimney sweep register kept by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, which is published on the Internet. From 2013, there will only be a scale of fees for work that must be carried out by the authorized district chimney sweep. The costs for all other activities will no longer be regulated and can be negotiated.

The local authorities of your district, independent city or special status city supervise the district chimney sweeps.

• Chimney sweep register (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control)

The fees incurred for this work are currently charged by the chimney sweep on the basis of the Federal Sweeping and Inspection Ordinance by means of a specified invoice and are to be borne by the property owner or the community of homeowners.

From January 2013, the Fees Ordinance will be limited exclusively to "sovereign tasks", i.e. the inspection of combustion systems, the fireplace inspection (which takes place every 3.5 years) and the keeping of the sweeping log. The costs for all other activities are then no longer regulated and can be negotiated.

• Chimney sweep - Craftsmen's Act
• Rhineland-Palatinate state building regulations
• First Ordinance on the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchV)

"Sovereign tasks" such as inspecting fireplaces, inspecting your system and keeping a sweep book are reserved exclusively for the authorized district chimney sweep.

Before assigning non-sovereign tasks, you should check that the chimney sweep in question is registered in the chimney sweep register of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control.

You can find out which work is due on your heating system and when it is due in the chimney notice, which your authorized district chimney sweep will provide you with as part of the chimney inspection.