Chimney sweep in Portsmouth, VA

Updated September 28, 2026 · Every figure checked twice against its source · How we verify

A chimney sweep in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth-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 Portsmouth ZIP code.

Chimney sweep Portsmouth: the local facts

Housing: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates for Portsmouth city, Virginia. Climate: NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, Norfolk Naval Air Station. Fire figures: our analysis of FEMA NFIRS records for Virginia, 2020 to 2024.
	Portsmouth, VA
Population	97,190
Homes built in 1939 or earlier	11.9%
Median year homes were built	1967
Single-family detached homes	61.5%
Nights at or below freezing, per year	32
Average temperature, December to February	44°F
Chimney fires, share of residential fires, Virginia	7%
Virginia chimney fires in December to February	64.2%

Portsmouth homes and their chimneys

Half of Portsmouth's homes were built in 1967 or later, and only 11.9% 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.

Portsmouth winters and your chimney

Portsmouth averages 32 nights a year at or below freezing and a December to February average of 44°F (NOAA normals, Norfolk Naval Air Station). A chimney used only on cold nights still needs the yearly check: the NFPA says to have chimneys cleaned and inspected every year, and CSIA says creosote that builds up enough can catch fire when the flue gets hot enough.

Chimney fires in Virginia

Chimney fires confined to the chimney or flue made up 7% of residential structure fires in Virginia fire department records for 2020 to 2024, above the national 3.4%. 64.2% of Virginia'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 Portsmouth

Portsmouth's Permit Needed page lists the construction, installation, alteration, replacement or repair of mechanical systems, fuel gas systems and appliance vent systems among the work that needs a building permit application, except reconnection of existing or replacement equipment, appliances and fixtures. The same page says the permit exemptions do not apply in regulated historic districts or flood hazard zones, and that code compliance with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code is required whether or not a permit is needed; it sends questions to the Building Division at 757-393-8531. It also says design review districts in Olde Towne, Downtown, Port Norfolk, Park View, Cradock and Truxtun require review and approval of exterior alterations.

The city's burn policy, updated 2025, cites the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code's definition of open burning, burning in which the products of combustion go directly into the air without passing through a stack or chimney from an enclosed chamber, and it prohibits open burning such as bonfires, pit burns and agricultural burning unless the Portsmouth Fire Marshal's Office issues a permit. For outdoor fires, the policy requires recreational fires to be at least 25 feet from a structure or combustible material and portable outdoor fireplaces to be at least 15 feet away, with one or two-family dwellings exempt from the 15-foot distance. The city provides and installs smoke detectors at no charge through the Fire Marshal's Office at 757-393-8689, but only for homeowners; renters are told to contact their rental office.

Chimney cleaning, inspection and repair in Portsmouth

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
City of Portsmouth, Permit Needed: www.portsmouthva.gov
City of Portsmouth, Burn Policy: www.portsmouthva.gov
City of Portsmouth, Smoke Alarms: www.portsmouthva.gov

All sources read September 28, 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).