Chimney services in Lynnwood
For a chimney of Lynnwood’s typical age, an inspection comes first; it tells you whether the crown, joints, flashing or flue need anything before the next fire.
- 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 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 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.
A city shaped by the 1960s and 70s
Census estimates (ACS 2024, five-year) put the median Lynnwood home’s construction year at 1979, and just over half of all homes were built before 1980. Very few are older than that era — only about 1 in 8 predates 1960 — while about 20 percent were built in 2000 or later.
A brick chimney from the 1960s or 70s has now been through more than forty Puget Sound winters. Common wear points at that age include the crown, which on some chimneys of the period was a thin mortar wash rather than a proper cast slab; the mortar joints nearest the top; and the flashing, which may have been replaced along with the roof — or simply sealed over. Crown repair and repointing are often the first repairs such a chimney needs, once an inspection confirms it.
Condos, townhouses and shared roofs
Fewer than half of Lynnwood homes are detached single-family houses, according to the same Census estimates, and about half of households rent. So many Lynnwood households live in condominiums, townhouses and apartments, where a fireplace’s chimney, roof and cap may belong to an association rather than to the unit owner — and for renters, chimney work is the landlord’s call.
If that is your situation, check your association’s documents or ask its manager before arranging work on anything above the roofline. Inspecting the fireplace in your own unit is a reasonable first step either way; repairs to a shared chimney or roof penetration generally need the association’s approval, and sometimes a single scope that covers several units.
Wet days, fewer frosts
The nearest long-term NOAA station is at Paine Field, about five and a half miles north. Its 1991–2020 normals record 33.37 inches of precipitation a year and about 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch, but only around 29 nights at or below freezing — far fewer than NOAA’s inland stations at Monroe and Arlington.
That pattern points to steady wetting more than frost damage. Water that gets past a loose counter flashing or a cracked crown often shows up as a stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or a damp smell after rain, well before anything looks wrong from outside. Leak and flashing repair starts by finding where it actually gets in.
Who permits chimney work in Lynnwood
Inside city limits, the City of Lynnwood’s Development & Business Services department reviews and issues building permits — electrical permits included — through its Permit Center and online permit portal, and inspects the work.
Lynnwood’s building permit application lists “Fireplace / Insert” among the mechanical items it covers, alongside gas piping. The city’s list of work exempt from permits covers things like fences, finish work and portable appliances; chimney, fireplace and masonry work is not on it, and the list notes that an exemption never authorizes work that breaks the code. Ask the Permit Center what your particular job needs before it is scheduled.
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.
Lynnwood chimney questions
We live in a Lynnwood condo with a wood fireplace. Who is responsible for the chimney?
It depends on your association’s governing documents, which usually say whether the flue, chimney and roof are common elements. Check with the association or its manager first. An inspection of your own fireplace can still tell you — and them — what condition the system is in.
Does Lynnwood require a permit for a fireplace insert?
Lynnwood’s building permit application lists “Fireplace / Insert” as a mechanical item, next to gas piping, and the city’s exempt-work list does not include fireplace or chimney work. Confirm the details for your installation with the Permit Center before it goes in.
Why is there a burn ban in Lynnwood when there is none in Seattle?
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency calls bans county by county. In Snohomish County it calls a Stage 1 ban when fine-particle pollution is forecast to exceed a 24-hour average of 30 micrograms per cubic meter; in King County the threshold is 35. So Snohomish County can be under a ban while King County is not. Check the agency’s status page or call 800-595-4341.
Our 1970s house has a brick chimney we hardly use. What should we check?
The top of it: the crown, the cap, the flashing and the upper mortar joints, since that is where water and animals get in on a chimney that sits idle. Have the flue checked before you light a fire again. The request form is the easiest way to set that up.
Useful local links
- Apply for a Permit — City of Lynnwood (opens in a new tab)
- Work Exempt from Permit — City of Lynnwood (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Climate Normals 1991–2020, Everett Snohomish Airport (Paine Field) — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Lynnwood, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)