Chimney sweep in Columbus, OH

Updated September 25, 2026 · Every figure checked twice against its source · How we verify

A chimney sweep in Columbus costs about $150 to $375 for a masonry chimney with a wood-burning fireplace and $80 to $150 for a gas fireplace, going by HomeGuide's national price survey; no survey publishes Columbus-only prices, so compare two written quotes against those ranges. The NFPA says to have chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Use the form below and we send your request to a chimney company that serves your Columbus ZIP code.

Chimney sweep Columbus: the local facts

Housing: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates for Columbus city, Ohio. Climate: NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, Port Columbus International Airport. Fire figures: our analysis of FEMA NFIRS records for Ohio, 2020 to 2024.
	Columbus, OH
Population	914,802
Homes built in 1939 or earlier	12%
Median year homes were built	1980
Single-family detached homes	44.3%
Nights at or below freezing, per year	103
Average temperature, December to February	32.2°F
Chimney fires, share of residential fires, Ohio	3.6%
Ohio chimney fires in December to February	58.5%

Columbus homes and their chimneys

Half of Columbus's homes were built in 1980 or later, and only 12% date from 1939 or earlier. HomeGuide's list of common stainless steel liner jobs includes matching modern heating appliances that need a different liner and installing liners in prefabricated fireplaces, not only lining old brick chimneys.

Columbus winters and your chimney

Columbus averages 103 nights a year at or below freezing and a December to February average of 32.2°F (NOAA normals, Port Columbus International Airport). That matters for the outside of the chimney: HomeGuide says cracks in brick and mortar usually start small at the corners but can expand quickly if water seeps in and freezes. Brick repair runs $150 to $500 for minor cracks and $1,000 to $3,500 for replacing brick from the crown to the roofline, according to HomeGuide.

Chimney fires in Ohio

Chimney fires confined to the chimney or flue made up 3.6% of residential structure fires in Ohio fire department records for 2020 to 2024, about the same as the national 3.4%. 58.5% of Ohio's chimney fires happened in December, January and February, a larger winter share than the national 57.4%. State-by-state figures: chimney-fires-by-state.csv.

Local rules and resources in Columbus

The Columbus Division of Fire says that to request a free smoke alarm, you can call the Columbus Fire Smoke Alarm Hotline at 614-724-0935, or 1-844-207-4509 from outside the City of Columbus.

For outdoor fires, Ohio.gov says that according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, open burning refers to any set outdoor fire that does not vent into a chimney, with examples such as brush piles, fire pits, fire rings and burn barrels. The same page, published June 28, 2024, says that according to the State Fire Marshal, Ohio has a seasonal statewide ban on burning yard waste, trash and debris from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October and November, that the ban only applies to areas of the state outside of cities, towns and villages, and that residents should contact their local fire department for the rules where they live.

Columbus Building & Zoning Services' Residential Plan Requirements sheet (111 N Front Street, 614-645-7433) requires 2 sets of plans and a scope of work, with the scope divided into 4 categories: Structural, Electrical, Mechanical (HVAC, gas piping and prefabricated fireplace) and Plumbing. For mechanical plans, the sheet asks for the location of the furnace, air conditioning unit and gas meter and the ventilation requirements, and it lists 614-645-7562 for plan review questions.

Chimney cleaning, inspection and repair in Columbus

A yearly Level 1 inspection costs $100 to $250 with a basic cleaning, according to HomeGuide, and a Level 2 inspection, which adds a video inspection, costs $250 to $600; HomeGuide recommends Level 2 when buying a home with a chimney. Common repairs such as a cap replacement or crown repair cost $200 to $850. Ask whether the sweep is CSIA certified. Details: chimney sweep cost, chimney inspection and chimney repair.

Other cities we cover

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25024, B25034, B25035: data.census.gov
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020: www.ncei.noaa.gov
NFPA, Heating safety tip sheet: content.nfpa.org
Chimney Safety Institute of America, "Preventing Chimney Fires": www.csia.org
HomeGuide, chimney sweep cost, page dated February 9, 2026: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney inspection cost, page dated February 9, 2026: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney repair cost: homeguide.com
HomeGuide, chimney liner cost: homeguide.com
FEMA, OpenFEMA, NFIRS Annual Data, fire files 2020 to 2024, downloaded September 25, 2026: www.fema.gov
Vent & Flue analysis, chimney fires by state (CSV): chimney-fires-by-state.csv
Columbus Division of Fire, Smoke Alarms Save Lives: www.columbus.gov
Ohio.gov, Open Burning (published June 28, 2024): ohio.gov
City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services, Residential Plan Requirements: www.columbus.gov

All sources read September 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).