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Guide

Carbon monoxide, alarms & your chimney

A chimney that serves a gas or oil appliance is part of your carbon monoxide safety. Here’s what the City requires and what to keep an eye on.

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Emergency? If you smell gas, leave the house and call PGW at 215-235-1212 from outside. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, get everyone outside and call 911. Don’t use this form for emergencies.

How the chimney is involved

L&I says chimney and vent clearance rules exist to “ensure proper exhaust to avoid any backdraft that may increase levels of carbon monoxide.” HomeGuide notes that cracks or failed mortar joints in clay liners can let carbon monoxide into the home. Blockages matter too: the Rowhouse Manual’s annual chimney check is specifically for “animal nests and soot build up.”

What Philadelphia requires

  • L&I Code Interpretation 0801: the Fire Code requires carbon monoxide alarms “in any new or existing building with a Group R-3 or Group R-4 occupancy” where fossil-fuel or wood-burning appliances are installed or a garage is attached.
  • In existing R-3 and R-4 buildings, the alarms don’t need to be hardwired or interconnected.
  • Combination smoke/CO alarms are permitted but not required.

Simple habits

  • The Rowhouse Manual says to test smoke and CO detectors and replace batteries twice a year.
  • Have the chimney cleaned and inspected once a year, as the Rowhouse Manual recommends.
  • Get a Level II inspection when you add or change a heating appliance or fuel, per CSIA.

References

  1. L&I: Chimney & vent clearance information sheet, Rev. 4.2025 (PDF)
  2. L&I: Code Interpretation No. 0801, Carbon monoxide alarms (PDF)
  3. City of Philadelphia: Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual (PDF)
  4. HomeGuide: Chimney liner cost
  5. Chimney Safety Institute of America: Levels of chimney inspection (NFPA 211)
  6. PGW (Philadelphia Gas Works): emergency line on pgworks.com

Checked October 30, 2026. Codes, fees, programs and prices change; confirm with the source. Cost figures are published ranges, not quotes.

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Philly Chimney Repair is a free referral service, not a chimney contractor. We pass your request to an independent Philadelphia contractor, who inspects, quotes and does the work.

If you smell gas, leave the house and call PGW at 215-235-1212 from outside. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, get everyone outside and call 911. Don’t use this form for emergencies.

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Philly Chimney Repair is a free referral service, not a chimney contractor. We pass your request to an independent Philadelphia contractor, who inspects, quotes and does the work. We are not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia, L&I or PGW. We may be paid by the contractors we refer. Disclosure.