What a fireplace installation covers
A fireplace installation means fitting a new fireplace into your home. We help you choose the unit, check how it will vent, set it in place and connect it so it is ready to use. We install wood-burning and gas units and work on all major brands. Gas fireplace and gas appliance work is offered, so a gas unit can be planned as one job. Our fireplace installation service page explains the full scope and how a visit runs.
Berkeley's rules for new wood-burning fireplaces
The City's building code includes two sections that apply directly to installing a wood-burning fireplace. Both shape which unit you buy and what has to happen before it goes in.
Only EPA certified or EPA-exempt units can be installed
Berkeley's Building Code (BMC 19.28.040, Section 3115.3, re-adopted by Ordinance 7,988-N.S. in 2025) bars installing any wood-burning fireplace or wood heater that is not EPA certified or EPA-exempt, in any occupancy. (Source: City of Berkeley, Council report, Nov 18 2025: Adoption of Berkeley Building Codes, Ordinance No. 7,988-N.S.)
The rule covers wood heaters as well as fireplaces, and it applies in any occupancy, from a single-family house to a rental or commercial building. In practice, the unit's EPA status is the first thing to settle. We confirm whether a model is EPA certified or EPA-exempt before it is ordered, so you don't end up with an appliance that can't be installed.
Proof of conformance goes to the City
Under Berkeley Building Code Section 3115.4 (BMC 19.28.040), anyone planning to install a wood-burning fireplace or heating stove must submit verifiable documentation to the City showing the appliance conforms. (Source: City of Berkeley, Council report, Nov 18 2025: Adoption of Berkeley Building Codes, Ordinance No. 7,988-N.S.)
The requirement applies at the planning stage, before installation. Keep the manufacturer's paperwork for the exact model you choose, including whatever shows its EPA status. That documentation is what the City needs to see.
Planning a wood-burning installation
Decide between wood and gas
Each type has its own trade-offs. Read our guide to gas vs wood burning fireplace before you pick a fuel.
Choose a unit that qualifies
For wood, narrow the options to models that are EPA certified or EPA-exempt.
Gather the model's documentation
Collect the paperwork that verifies the appliance conforms, and submit it to the City before installation.
Book the installation
Once the unit is settled, we schedule the fit and connection. Estimates are free.
Considering gas instead?
The two code sections above cover wood-burning fireplaces, wood heaters and heating stoves. If you would rather not burn wood, gas fireplace and gas appliance work is offered. We can talk through both options during a free estimate.
When a new fireplace isn't the right job
If you already have a fireplace and the trouble is a cracked, leaking or worn chimney, a repair is usually the better fit than a replacement. Read about chimney repair in Berkeley for that kind of work. If you want to keep an existing masonry opening but get a more efficient fire, a fireplace insert installed into it is another option to raise during your estimate.
More about this service and the area
To see the steps from choosing a unit to the finished install, read how fireplace installation works. For everything else we do for homes in Berkeley, visit the area page. When you are ready, request an estimate.
Sources (1)
The sources of the Berkeley facts on this page.
- 1City of Berkeley - Council report, Nov 18 2025: Adoption of Berkeley Building Codes (Ordinance No. 7,988-N.S.)
