Chimney cleaning regulations

In short

• A solid-fuel flue must be cleaned by 1 November; for long-burn appliances (usually boilers, metal stoves and sauna stoves) once more by 1 March.
• Gas appliances are serviced and checked once a year; gas and liquid-fuel flues are cleaned once a year or once every two years, depending on the material.
• A certificate is drawn up after every cleaning. The exception: when the owner of a private house cleans a solid-fuel flue themselves.
• A solid-fuel or liquid-fuel flue needs a technical condition inspection with a certificate on a set form once every five years.
• Burning out soot and using a damaged flue are forbidden.
• There is no fine for an uncleaned chimney by itself; a fine applies if a fire breaks out or evacuation is hindered.
• From 01.01.2027, flue cleaning as a service may only be provided by a person with the appropriate professional training.

Which regulations apply and what changes in 2027

The main document is Cabinet Regulation No. 238 of 19.04.2016 “Fire Safety Regulations”. According to likumi.lv, these regulations lose force on 02.01.2027 and will be replaced by new fire safety regulations, whose final text had not yet been published on 04.11.2026.

On 13.11.2025 the Fire Safety, Firefighting and Rescue Work Law came into force, replacing the previous Fire Safety and Firefighting Law. It sets out the responsible person, the powers of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) and the fines. Until the new regulations come into force, Cabinet Regulation No. 238 applies insofar as it does not contradict the new law.

When a flue must be cleaned

The regulations link the deadlines to the fuel and the appliance. Long-burn solid-fuel appliances that store heat for no longer than three hours are cleaned by 1 November and again by 1 March; other solid-fuel and liquid-fuel appliances by 1 November. For gas and liquid-fuel flues the deadline depends on the material.

The full table with each appliance, for example a tiled stove, a fireplace, a pellet boiler and a gas boiler: how often to clean a chimney.

The certificate after cleaning and who may sign it

A certificate is drawn up for cleaning a flue, a heating appliance and a natural ventilation duct. It states the property, the owner, the address and the date, and the location and description of the flue. It also gives the cleaner's name, the name and number of the document proving their education or qualification or of their practice certificate, and a statement on the result of the work.

The only case where no certificate is needed is when the solid-fuel flue of a single-dwelling property (a private house, summer house, garden house, or a semi-detached or terraced house with its own roof and entrance) is cleaned by the responsible person themselves. In all other cases a certificate is needed: in apartment buildings, for gas and liquid-fuel flues, and when someone else does the cleaning. More: can you clean your own chimney.

Technical condition inspection and replacing an appliance

Solid-fuel and liquid-fuel heating appliances, devices and flues get a technical condition inspection once every five years. The results are entered in a certificate on the Annex 8 form, with photos, video or measurement results and a drawing of the flue layout attached. Non-compliances are written in the notes with a reference to the requirement.

If a heating appliance is replaced with another, the flue and the ventilation are inspected and the certificate states whether the new appliance can be connected to the flue. A gas appliance that has been disconnected for more than six months needs an extraordinary check with a certificate. The certificate may be signed only by a person qualified as a chimney sweep, stove and fireplace mason or craftsman, a construction specialist in the relevant field or a fire safety engineer. How it works: chimney sweep's condition report.

What is forbidden

• using a damaged heating appliance, device or flue;
• overheating a heating appliance;
• leaving a lit appliance unattended if the manufacturer does not allow it;
• storing combustible materials closer than 0.5 m to the appliance and closer than 1.2 m in front of the firebox;
• lighting the fire with flammable liquids not intended for it;
• burning wood that is longer than the firebox;
• using a ventilation duct to carry away flue gases;
• cleaning a flue or ventilation duct by burning it out;
• using a flue to run cables or networks.

Building code: height, cleaning doors and distances

Building code LBN 231-15 sets out what a flue must be like. The top of the chimney must be at least 0.5 m above the roof covering, and close to the ridge it must rise above the ridge. Flues are fitted with cleaning doors no smaller than the cross-section of the flue channel. Combustible materials must be at least 300 mm from the outer surface of the flue. A chimney cap or a deflector may be fitted on the chimney if it does not obstruct cleaning. More: chimney height above the roof.

Fine for an uncleaned chimney

Since 13.11.2025 the law provides for a fine for breaching fire safety requirements in two cases. If a fire has broken out because of the breach, the fine is €140–430 for a natural person and €1,400–4,300 for a legal person. If the breach hinders evacuation, the fine for a natural person is €30–280.

So at present there is no separate fine for an uncleaned flue that has not caused a fire. It is still a breach, though: VUGD can order it to be put right, warn that the use of the property may be suspended, and, where there is a direct threat of fire, suspend the use of the property without warning. On top of that, the insurer may reduce the payout: chimney report for insurance.

From 01.01.2027: qualification and contract

The new law lists flue cleaning, the technical condition inspection of flues and heating appliances, and the cleaning and inspection of natural ventilation ducts as fire safety services. From 01.01.2027 they may be provided by a person with the appropriate professional training, to be defined by the Cabinet of Ministers, and a contract will have to be signed for the service.

This applies to those who provide the service. Whether the owner of a private house will still be able to clean their own flue without a certificate after 02.01.2027 will be set by the new regulations, and we will check this as soon as they are adopted. A chimney sweep's qualification can be checked in the register of the Latvian Chamber of Crafts (LAK).

Who is responsible in an apartment building

The owner or possessor of a property is responsible for its fire safety, or the manager if the management contract provides for this. In an apartment building, the owner is responsible for the shared heating and ventilation systems, or the manager if the management contract provides for this. In a rented property the tenant is responsible, if the tenancy agreement says so. More: chimney sweep for apartment buildings.