What you can book for a Naperville home
The work falls into four kinds of work. Cleaning covers sweeping, creosote removal and clearing blockages or nests. Inspections include camera checks of the flue and inspections for a home sale. Masonry and structure means repairing a damaged or leaking chimney, along with crowns, flashing, liners and caps. Fireplace and venting work covers wood, gas and electric fireplace repairs, new installations, gas logs and gas lines, plus dryer vent cleaning, rerouting and repair. Commercial buildings and rental properties can book the same services.
Local service pages for Naperville homeowners
- Fireplace installation for homes in Naperville covers adding a fireplace or insert, or replacing a unit that is beyond repair. It is the place to start if you are planning a new hearth or converting an old one.
- Installing a chimney cap keeps rain, debris and animals out of an open flue. It makes sense when a chimney has no cap, or after a sweep finds nesting material or water damage inside.
What Naperville's own rules mean for chimney and fireplace work
2024 codes for plans submitted on or after April 1, 2026
According to the City's Building Permits page, under Ordinance 26-010 (February 2026), Naperville reviews all plans submitted on or after April 1, 2026 under the 2024 International Residential Code, 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, 2024 International Mechanical Code and 2024 International Fire Code, among others, with local amendments in the Naperville Municipal Code. In practice, a fireplace, gas line or venting project whose plans go to the City now is reviewed against the 2024 editions. The fuel gas and mechanical codes generally deal with gas piping and with venting fuel-burning appliances. If you are planning a project that goes through plan review, it helps to settle the design before the submission date so the plans match the code edition that applies.
Homes in the Naperville local historic district
The City's Local & Federal Historic Districts page says the Naperville Local Historic District was designated by the City Council in 1986 and currently includes approximately 320 properties, including part of the North Central College campus and 253 homes. The City of Naperville Guide to Building Permits (revised 10/31/2022) asks owners to contact City staff about any work on a building in the historic district, because additional requirements may apply.
For a chimney on one of those homes, contact the City before exterior masonry work is scheduled. That includes chimney tuckpointing to replace worn mortar joints, or a partial or full chimney rebuild when the brick is too far gone to patch. Knowing about any added requirements early keeps the job from stalling once it starts.
The dense-smoke rule
The City's Open Burning Permits page states that Naperville's open burning rules make it unlawful to cause or permit the emission of dense smoke from any fire, chimney, engine or oil burner in a way that causes annoyance or discomfort to residents. In general, a fireplace or wood stove that sends heavy smoke out of the chimney is often burning wet wood, or the flue is restricted by creosote or a blockage, or the chimney isn't drafting properly. A cleaning or an inspection can show which one it is, and fixing the cause also keeps smoke from rolling back into the room.
Sources (7)
Facts and figures on this page come from these references.
- 1Local & Federal Historic Districts | Naperville, IL
- 2City of Naperville Guide to Building Permits (revised 10/31/2022); Building Permits | Naperville, IL; City of Naperville - A Summary of COA Requirements (COA Requirements Table), linked from Regulations for Historic Districts & Landmarked Properties
- 3City of Naperville Guide to Building Permits (revised 10/31/2022); City of Naperville - A Summary of COA Requirements (COA Requirements Table), linked from Regulations for Historic Districts & Landmarked Properties
- 4City of Naperville Guide to Building Permits (revised 10/31/2022)
- 5Building Permits | Naperville, IL; City of Naperville Guide to Building Permits (601 Guide to Building Permits, revised 10/31/2022); City of Naperville Building Permit Fee Schedule - Residential (Title 1, Chapter 9 of the Naperville Municipal Code), updated 10/11/2022
- 6Building Permits | Naperville, IL
- 7Open Burning Permits | Naperville, IL
