Buying & Selling

New Jersey adopted the ICC's IRC as its statewide, uniform standard for residential construction. There are 44 chapters and 10 appendices under the IRC that provide the minimum construction and safety requirements for all homes, new and old. The ICC frequently updates the IRC in rotating cycles about every three to six years, depending on chapter, and advances in construction technology. There are several more chapters which overlap regarding chimney usage and construction: chapters 17, 18, 20, 24, and 28; chapter 15 is related to dryer vents; chapter 9 is related to roof construction.

New Jersey allows for a grace period no greater than six months before the latest edition of building code publication takes precedence. There is no appeal process to grant grandfathering at the state, county, or municipal levels - and historic structures are not exempt from fire sub-code/fire safety. The current edition of I.R.C. Chapter 10 "Chimneys & Fireplaces" is 01 January 2024. The overwhelming majority of the codes in Chapter 10 were standardized in 1994, two years prior to New Jersey's adoption. Chimney-specific repairs for code compliance can't be enforced until selling a home, or performing a fuel conversion (wood-to-gas for fireplaces; oil-to-gas for heating systems). This includes appliance replacements, such as installing a new water tank (natural gas or propane).

Aside from the legal property owner(s), only a New Jersey licensed contractor, HIC or otherwise, may apply for permits; all contractors are required to furnish proof of licensure and commercial general liability insurance to municipal building departments (N.J.S.A. 56:8-142). Mt Freedom Chimney's license number is NJHIC 13VH06466100. New to 2025, all HIC licensees must be bonded. Workers comp is a required insurance for W-2 employees; controlling interests of 10% or greater are permitted to use their personal health care coverage. All chimney lining installations require permits to be issued from the municipality where a worksite is located; new and replacement appliance installations which vent exhaust into a chimney also require permits: heating systems, water tanks, fireplace inserts, wood stoves, new fireplaces, oil-to-gas conversions, wood-to-gas conversions.

Heat warping and cavitation; deterioration from age, rust, and wear. Absence of integral recirculation vent chambers will lead to excessive heat transfer beyond minimum clearances.

All fireplaces are required to have a damper, which closes off access to the flue.

Undersized or oversized in correlation to fireplace size and volume. Open and exposed brick surface, as the interior is required to be parged with a high-heat refractory mortar.

Hearths must be able to support their own weight, be constructed of non-combustible building materials, and be a minimum of 4 inches thick. Hearth extensions are to be at least 16 inches in length for fireplaces with openings under 6 square feet; at least 20 inches for 6 square feet or larger.

Decorative wood trim, wood mantels, and anything combustible must remain a minimum of 6 inches away from the left and right sides of a fireplace opening, and a minimum of 12 inches above a fireplace opening. 

Masonry chimney exterior surfaces cannot be sealed or painted, as this will trap internal moisture, causing freeze/thaw damage.

Flue lining offsets cannot exceed 30 degrees.

Chimneys must protrude at least 3 feet from where breaching the roofline; chimney height must be a minimum of 2 feet taller than the tallest point within a 10 foot radius. Chimney crowns must facilitate a drip edge. Spark arresting chimney caps are required.

Rain caps or spark arrestors have been required for all chimneys since IRC building code was first published.

High-heat, water non-soluble refractory mortar is the required jointing medium for every 2 foot section of clay flue lining, as conventional cement deteriorates in high-heat and high-moisture environments. Individual flue linings are required to be encapsulated by a minimum of 4 inches solid masonry, creating dividing walls. Converging flues whereas multiple appliances share one flue is not permitted.

Minimum flue area is correlated to appliance size and dimensions; most common violation is the fireplace flue being undersized, which typically leads to weak draft and performance.

Factory-prefab fireplace systems are UL-listed and tested for their factory configurations, and any alterations are not permitted (RE: wood stove or wood insert installations). Factory-prefab chimney pipe systems are UL-listed and tested for their factory configurations, and any alterations are not permitted (RE: aftermarket chimney liner installation and converging flues).

All gas and liquid fueled appliances (natural gas, propane, oil) sharing a common chimney flue must be located on the same floor of the dwelling.

All solid-fuel (wood, coal, pellet, etc) appliances are must be vented individually into a flue, independent to all other appliances.

Appliances cannot be located bedrooms, bathrooms, or closets; solid-fuel burning applications, such as wood stoves, require a minimum of 5,000 cubic feet to satisfy air inlet/intake requirements.

Appliances located outdoors (to include sheds) must be rated and approved for outdoor location, with visible labeling.

Multiple appliance connectors are not permitted to enter on the same horizontal plane. Lower-input rate appliance connectors must be positioned above higher-input rate appliance connectors for multiple input rate appliance convergences.

Dryer vents aren't permitted to vent into open attic space or a garage.

Dryer vents are not permitted to be paired with a duct from a different appliance, like a bathroom fan or kitchen stove draft hood.

Dryer vents aren't permitted to vent within three feet of any door or window opening. Screens are not permitted to cover the termination, but single-piece or multi-piece louvers are allowed, as they double as a back-draft damper.

Dryer vents must be constructed from 4" DIA smooth-walled, rigid pipe.

Rigid pipe sections are not permitted to be fasten with screws.

Flex pipe connecting the dryer appliance's breach and rigid pipe cannot exceed 8 feet, and are not permitted to be concealed within walls.

The maximum dryer vent length is 35 feet. For every 45-degree offset in the lateral, two and a half feet is subtracted from the max length. For every 90-degree offset in the lateral, five feet is subtracted from the max length.