There Is No Such Thing as a WETT-Certified Company — and That Sentence Will Save You a Bad Hire
Only people are certified. What you buy is a report, not a certificate.
In short
If you burn wood, your insurer may ask for a WETT inspection — an evaluation of the appliance and system by a WETT-certified professional against codes, standards and manufacturer instructions. For most insurance and real estate purposes a Level 1 visual inspection is what is needed.
Here is the detail that sorts real trades from marketing: appliances and companies cannot be WETT certified. Only individuals can. And what you receive is an official inspection report — not a WETT certificate. A business advertising itself as WETT certified is describing something that does not exist.
If your fireplace runs on gas, none of this applies. Gas is a different regime entirely: under Ontario law fuel-fired appliances must be serviced by a TSSA-registered contractor, and that register is public.
What it costs before the heating season
Market quotes from GTA companies, autumn 2026. Prices published by businesses that sell the work, not an independent survey.
| Service | Typical price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney sweep, wood-burning | $150–350 | Removing creosote and debris from the flue |
| WETT Level 1 visual inspection | $150–350 | Readily accessible parts, no panels removed — what most insurers ask for |
| WETT Level 2 technical inspection | $300–600 | Ladders, attics, hand tools, parts removed |
| WETT Level 3 invasive inspection | Quoted per job | May require opening walls or chimneys; permit and written consent normally needed |
| Gas fireplace service | $150–350 | TSSA-registered contractor only — not a sweep |
| Cap, liner or damper repairs | $200–2,000+ | Found during inspection, quoted separately |
Sweeps and inspections are frequently bundled. Ask which you are buying: a sweep cleans, an inspection produces the document your insurer wants, and the two are not interchangeable.
The three levels, and which one you need
WETT’s standardised inspection process, SITE, has three levels — and knowing the number stops you buying more or less than the situation calls for.
| Level | Access | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 — Visual | Readily accessible. Flashlight, mirror and measuring tape; no panels removed. | Most insurance and real estate requests |
| Level 2 — Technical | Accessible. Ladders, attics, chimney access, hand tools, some parts removed. | After a malfunction, a change of appliance, or when Level 1 raises a question |
| Level 3 — Invasive | Concealed. May open walls or chimneys; power tools and specialty equipment. | Suspected hidden defect. Permit and written consent normally required |
Who can do what also differs. A SITE Basic Inspector performs visual inspections. A Technician installs and services systems and performs visual and technical inspections. A Chimney Sweep cleans and maintains the full system and performs visual and technical inspections. A SITE Comprehensive Inspector performs all three types.
When you actually need an inspection
Four situations, and only one of them is a routine calendar item:
Sweeping frequency is a different question and depends on how much you burn and what you burn, not on the calendar alone. Unseasoned wood and slow smouldering fires build creosote fastest. Booking the look before the first cold snap is simply when it is easiest to get someone — the same logic as the furnace tune-up and the rest of the autumn booking calendar.
If your fireplace is gas, this is the rule that applies
Under Ontario law fuel-fired appliances must be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors working through certified technicians. Registered fuels contractors are the only businesses legally authorised to do fuels work in the province, and the register is public and searchable.
TSSA states plainly that its registry is not an endorsement or referral — it confirms a valid registration and nothing more. That is exactly the right way to read any registry. It tells you who is allowed to do the work, not who does it well.
The reason this is enforced: by TSSA’s own historical data, approximately 65 per cent of fuels-related incidents involved causes including substandard installation of fuel-burning appliances and poor maintenance. Our appliance repair guide covers the same rule for gas ranges and dryers.
Red flags
What to do next
Two calls, in this order. First your insurer: ask exactly what they require for your wood-burning appliance and by when. Then a company — and ask for the name and certification level of the individual attending, not the company’s marketing.
Compare home services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact businesses directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone. Also useful: furnace service costs and how to check a licence in the register.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
Market quotes for a straightforward sweep of a residential wood-burning chimney generally run $150 to $350. A WETT visual inspection is often quoted separately or bundled, and a gas fireplace service call by a registered contractor is priced like other fuels work rather than like a sweep.
It is an evaluation of a wood-burning appliance or system by a WETT-certified professional against codes, standards and manufacturer instructions. The common triggers are a home insurance requirement, a real estate transaction, a malfunction such as smoke spillage or rapid creosote build-up, and general safety concerns.
No, and this is the single most useful thing to know. Only individuals are certified — appliances and companies cannot be. What you receive is an official inspection report, not a WETT certificate. A company advertising itself as WETT certified is describing something that does not exist.
Three. Level 1 is a visual inspection of readily accessible parts, no panels removed, and it is what most insurance and real estate requests need. Level 2 is technical, involving ladders, attics and hand tools. Level 3 is invasive, may require opening walls or chimneys, and normally needs a permit and written consent.
No. Gas is a different regime: under Ontario law fuel-fired appliances must be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors working through certified technicians, and the register of authorised contractors is public. WETT certification is for solid fuel and does not apply to your gas insert.
Frequency depends on how much you burn and what you burn, not on the calendar alone. Creosote builds faster with unseasoned wood and with slow, smouldering fires. An annual look before the heating season is the common practice, and it is also when the inspection report is easiest to obtain if your insurer asks for one.
Ask what specifically they need — usually a Level 1 visual report — and book it before renewal rather than after a claim. Discovering that a wood-burning appliance was never inspected at the moment of a fire claim is the expensive version of this conversation.
Sources and how current this is
Checked 18 September 2026. The definition of a WETT inspection, the statement that appliances and companies cannot be WETT certified and that only individuals are, the four situations that trigger an inspection, the categories of certified professional and the three SITE levels come from WETT Inc., which also runs a public search for certified professionals. The requirement that fuel-fired appliances be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors, the public register of authorised heating fuel contractors with its own note that listing is not an endorsement, and the figure that approximately 65 per cent of fuels-related incidents involved substandard installation and poor maintenance come from the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Insurance requirements are set by your insurer, not by WETT or by this page — ask yours what it needs. Prices are market quotes published by GTA businesses that sell the work, not an independent survey. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not sweep chimneys, inspect appliances or vet the businesses listed.