Chimney services in Bothell
Where the fireplace runs on gas or came from a factory, start with gas fireplace service or an inspection of the flue.
- 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 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 Sweeping & CleaningCreosote, soot and debris cleared from the flue, smoke chamber and firebox, with before-and-after photos and a plain account of what the cleaning turned up.
- 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.
- 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.
One city, two counties
Bothell straddles the boundary between King and Snohomish counties. For chimney work, the county line matters in one place: burn bans. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency sets ban stages county by county, with some sub-areas in Snohomish County, so the two halves of Bothell can be under different stages at once. The agency’s burn ban area map shows which one your address is in.
Permits are different. Wherever you are in Bothell, the city issues them, not either county.
Newer houses, and the hills
Census estimates date almost two in five Bothell homes to 2000 or later, against about a quarter from before 1980. Close to half of households heat mainly with gas. In a house of that age, the “chimney” may be a metal flue enclosed in a wood-framed chase, finished with a cap and a chase cover instead of a masonry crown.
The city’s comprehensive plan describes a topography of hills with steep slopes, naming Norway Hill, West Hill, Maywood/Beckstrom Hill and Canyon Creek among others. On a hillside lot, a tall exterior chimney or a steep roof can change how access is set up, which is one of the things a visit looks at.
The City of Bothell issues permits on both sides of the county line
Bothell’s Permit Center handles building and mechanical permits for the whole city, and applications are accepted only online through MyBuildingPermit.com. The city’s guidance is that repairs to existing structures or systems generally require a permit, and its residential mechanical permit includes solid fuel stoves and inserts and gas log inserts.
Nothing about chimneys or masonry appears in the city’s permit exemptions handout. The Permit Center answers at permits@bothellwa.gov or 425-806-6400, and any permit a job needs is included in its written scope.
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
If the house is on the Bothell Register of Historic Landmarks, mention it in your request, since exterior changes there go through the city’s Landmark Preservation Board.
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.
Bothell chimney questions
My address is in the Snohomish County part of Bothell. Who issues the permit?
The City of Bothell, the same as in the King County part. Snohomish County’s Planning and Development Services permits unincorporated areas, not addresses inside Bothell city limits.
Does installing a wood stove, pellet stove or gas insert need a permit in Bothell?
The city’s residential mechanical permit has line items for solid fuel appliances, meaning wood and pellet stoves and inserts, and for gas log inserts. Plan on that permit, applied for through MyBuildingPermit.com, before the appliance goes in.
My house is a Bothell historic landmark. What changes for chimney work?
Under the city code, altering, rebuilding or repairing a property on the Bothell register, or in a historic district on it, requires Landmark Preservation Board review and a certificate of appropriateness, and related permits wait for it. The code treats ordinary maintenance differently and asks that repairs match existing materials. The city decides which applies to a given job.
Which burn ban applies to me in Bothell?
The one for your county. Find your address on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s burn ban area map, because King and Snohomish counties can be at different stages at the same time.
Useful local links
- Permit Center — City of Bothell (opens in a new tab)
- Residential Plumbing and/or Mechanical Permit (checklist) — City of Bothell, Development Services (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status and area map — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Landmark Preservation Board — City of Bothell (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Bothell, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)