Arlington is the northern end of the area Chimney4u covers. If your address is outside the city limits, say where when you get in touch and you will get a plain answer about whether it is within reach.
Chimney services in Arlington
With this many hard frosts, water getting in at the top of the chimney is the first thing to rule out.
- Chimney Crown RepairSealing, resurfacing or recasting the slab on top of your chimney, with a real overhang, a drip edge and a flexible joint around the flue.
- Chimney InspectionA close look at the flue, firebox, masonry and roof flashing, with photos you keep and a plain account of what’s urgent, what can wait and what can be left alone.
- Chimney Leak & Flashing RepairTracing where water really gets in around your chimney, then repairing the flashing, crown, cap or masonry responsible, with a written scope before any work.
- Masonry Repair & TuckpointingRepointing worn mortar joints and replacing spalled brick on chimneys, using new mortar matched to the old so the repair does not harm the brick around it.
- Gas Fireplace Service & RepairService and repair for gas fireplaces and gas inserts: pilot and ignition trouble, sooty glass, odd flames, odors, and the vent or chimney the unit uses.
- Chimney Cap InstallationChimney caps measured to your flue, single or multi-flue, to help keep rain, animals, debris and embers out, with the crown checked before anything is fitted.
Wetter and colder than the Everett area
NOAA keeps a long-term weather station in Arlington itself, about two miles from the center of town. Its 1991–2020 normals record 48.99 inches of precipitation a year, measurable precipitation on about 176 days, and about 94 nights a year at or below freezing, plus about 4 inches of snow.
For comparison, the station at Paine Field, on the Sound near Everett, records about 33 inches of precipitation and 29 freezing nights. The Arlington station records roughly half again as much water and more than three times as many nights below freezing, and nearly two thirds of its precipitation falls from September through February, overlapping much of the frost season.
That combination is what wears masonry down. Water soaks into a crown crack or a tired mortar joint, freezes and expands, and the gap is a little wider after it thaws. The first signs are often small: a hairline crack across the crown, sandy joints near the top of the stack, or flakes of brick face on the roof. Dealt with early through crown repair or repointing, they stay small; left alone, water can reach the flue liner or the framing around the chimney.
A newer housing stock, with gas in about half the homes
Census estimates (ACS 2024, five-year) put the median Arlington home’s construction year at 1996. About 37 percent of homes were built in 2000 or later, and only around 22 percent before 1980. Roughly half of households heat mainly with utility gas; fewer than 2 in 100 rely mainly on wood.
So an Arlington chimney may well be a metal flue in a framed chase, or the vent for a gas fireplace or insert, rather than a brick stack. Those systems have their own weak points: the chase cover and cap, the seams where the chase meets the roof, and the burner, pilot and glass on the appliance itself. If yours runs on gas, gas fireplace service covers the appliance, and the cap and chase cover deserve a look on the same visit.
Who permits chimney work in Arlington
Inside city limits, the City of Arlington’s Community & Economic Development department handles permits, and its Building Services Division reviews, issues and inspects them. Applications go through the city’s online permit portal, which includes a residential mechanical permit type. The city’s own advice is to check with the Building Division before any work is done.
Arlington’s 2026 fee schedule lists “Fireplace / Insert / Stove” among the items covered by a residential mechanical permit. For plan-reviewed building permits, the city’s residential design requirements ask for a section detail of any fireplace, including clearances, height above the roof, reinforcing and seismic anchorage. Whether a particular repair or rebuild needs a permit is the Building Division’s decision.
What you can tell us about
You do not need to know the cause. These are things homeowners describe when they get in touch — each one is something to assess on site, not a diagnosis.
Water where it should not be
Drips in the firebox, stains on a ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or a damp smell after rain.
Leak & flashing repairLoose mortar or damaged brick
Crumbling joints, brick faces flaking off, or bits of masonry on the roof or in the gutter.
Masonry repairA missing or damaged cap
No cap on the flue, a bent or rusted one, or signs that birds or animals have been getting in.
Cap installationSmoke or draft trouble
Smoke rolling into the room, a fire that is hard to keep going, or odors when the fireplace is not in use.
Chimney inspectionBuildup and a sweep that is overdue
You cannot remember the last cleaning, or you have bought a house and do not know the chimney's history.
Chimney sweepingA gas fireplace that will not light
A pilot that will not stay lit, ignition trouble, or soot on the glass. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Gas fireplace service
How a visit works
- 1Send the short form or call. Say what you have noticed; photos you took are welcome when we talk.
- 2We arrange a time with you, look at the chimney, and photograph what we find.
- 3You hear plainly what is urgent, what can wait, and what does not need doing.
- 4Repair work comes with a written scope and price. Nothing starts until you approve it.
- 5We photograph the finished work from the same angles, and the photos are yours to keep.
What affects the price
Prices come after the chimney has been seen, in writing. These are the things that move them:
- Condition
- What the inspection finds, and whether the cause of the damage is still active.
- Access
- Roof pitch, height, how many stories up the chimney sits, and whether staging is needed.
- Chimney size
- Height above the roof, width, and how many flues the stack carries.
- Materials
- Brick and mortar matched to what is there, crown and cap materials, liner type.
- Scope
- One targeted repair, several at once, or rebuilding part of the stack.
- Permits
- Whether the work needs a permit from the city or county that has jurisdiction at the address.
Arlington chimney questions
Is freeze-thaw really a concern for chimneys in Arlington?
It is worth taking seriously. The NOAA station in town averages about 94 freezing nights a year, many of them in the wettest months. A small crack in a crown or a mortar joint gives water a way in, and each freeze can open it further. A regular inspection can catch those while they are still small repairs.
Can I seal my brick chimney to keep the water out?
Not with paint or a film-forming sealer. The Brick Industry Association recommends against film-forming coatings on brick in freeze-thaw climates, and the National Park Service warns that sealing a spalling chimney traps moisture behind the coating. A breathable water repellent can have a place, but only after the crown, cap and flashing are sound — see leak and flashing repair.
Do I need a permit to install a gas insert or wood stove in Arlington?
Arlington lists fireplaces, inserts and stoves under its residential mechanical permit, applied for through the city’s online portal. Check the details for your appliance with the Building Division before it goes in.
Does Arlington follow the same burn bans as the rest of Snohomish County?
Air quality burn bans for Snohomish County come from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and are usually called countywide, though the agency says some sub-areas can be handled separately. Stage 1 bars fires in wood-burning fireplaces and in any uncertified stove or insert; Stage 2 bars all wood and pellet burning except in homes with an approved exemption. No one may make visible smoke during a ban. Check the status page or call 800-595-4341 before lighting a wood fire in fall or winter.
How do I get an estimate for a home in Arlington?
Use the request form or call, and describe what you have noticed. After the chimney has been looked at, repair work comes with a written scope and price, and nothing starts until you approve it.
Useful local links
- Building Services Division — City of Arlington (opens in a new tab)
- Development Permit Applications — City of Arlington (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Climate Normals 1991–2020, Arlington station — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Arlington, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)