Chimney and fireplace service in Tacoma and Pierce County
Tacoma has the oldest housing in the metro, with more than a quarter of its homes built before 1940. We inspect for free and write the price down before any work.
Tacoma's housing is older than Seattle's on average. The Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts 26.9 percent of Tacoma homes as built in 1939 or earlier and the median year built at 1967, the oldest of any large city in the metro. Puyallup follows at 7.1 percent pre-1940, and Lakewood has a large post-war stock, with nearly 20 percent built from 1940 to 1959. Gig Harbor is newer, with a median of 1998. Old brick means worn mortar, cracked crowns and clay flue tiles that need a careful look.
The weather is wetter toward the Narrows. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give the Tacoma Narrows airport about 42 inches of rain over roughly 168 days a year, the wettest station in our area. Pierce County also has its own burn ban zones and the strictest wood stove rule in the region. At the free inspection we check the stove or fireplace, the chimney and the label, and tell you exactly which rules apply to your house.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone
Since October 1, 2015, it has been illegal to use an uncertified wood stove or insert inside the Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone. Those units must be removed and recycled or made inoperable, unless the home holds an approved exemption. The rule covers stoves and inserts, not fireplaces, and it applies only inside the zone, not all of Pierce County. Check the zone map on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's website for your address.
The agency's recycling program pays $500 to retire an eligible uncertified stove or insert. An EPA-certified wood stove installed typically runs $3,000 to $8,000, a gas insert $2,000 to $8,000.
Three burn ban zones in Pierce County
The agency splits Pierce County into Greater Pierce, South Pierce and the Pierce Peninsula, which takes in Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula, and a ban may cover one zone and not another. The Stage 1 trigger here is lower than in King County: fine particles forecast above 30 micrograms per cubic meter within 72 hours. Gas and propane fireplaces and inserts are allowed in both stages.
FAQ
Tacoma & Pierce County questions
Is my old wood stove legal to use in Tacoma?
If it is uncertified and the house is inside the Smoke Reduction Zone, no. It has been illegal to use there since October 1, 2015. Check your address on the zone map at pscleanair.gov. Outside the zone it may be used except during burn bans.
How can I tell if my stove is EPA-certified?
Look for the EPA label on the back or side. Solid metal doors or two glass doors suggest an uncertified stove, and UL listed is not the same as EPA-certified. We check the label at the free inspection.
Which burn ban zone is Gig Harbor in?
The Pierce Peninsula zone, with the Key Peninsula. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency can call a ban for one Pierce County zone and not the others, so check the status for your zone.
When can you come?
We book Sunday through Friday in 3-hour windows: 8 to 11, 11 to 2 or 2 to 5. We call ahead to confirm. We are closed Saturday.
Book online
Pick a day. We'll bring a ladder.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.