NJ Chimney Certification and Verification Forms, Explained

What the form is

Form F370 is a standard form under New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code. Its full title is Chimney Verification for Replacement of Fuel-Fired Equipment, and it is the document most people mean when they ask about a chimney certification in New Jersey. It exists because swapping a heating appliance changes what the chimney has to handle, and the state wants someone qualified to look at the chimney before the new equipment goes on line.

The form records the work site, the owner, the verifying individual and their company, the type of replacement, the existing vent or chimney (including whether it is interior or exterior, tile-lined or unlined), and each appliance's fuel and input rating. A separate block covers any chimney liner being installed.

Which jobs it applies to

The form lists the replacement types it is meant for, and the verification statement the signer chooses depends on the job.

What the signer is verifying

For conversions and replacements, the signer states that the chimney or vent is in good repair and clear of obstruction, that where applicable it is substantially clean of residue from its previous use serving a liquid or solid fuel appliance, and that it is appropriately lined and sized for the appliance being installed. For a direct vent appliance, the signer confirms it is direct vent and that the existing chimney is appropriately lined and sized for any appliances still using it.

That last point catches a common situation. When a boiler moves to a direct vent that exits through the wall, the water heater is often left alone in a big masonry flue. The form makes the signer look at whether that remaining appliance is still properly vented.

Who signs it and when it is due

The form states plainly that it may not be submitted by a homeowner in lieu of the required inspection. It is completed by the person who verified the chimney, usually the chimney contractor or the heating contractor working with one. Timing depends on the permit type, and the form spells it out.

In practice, the heating contractor pulls the permit and the chimney check happens before the old appliance is disconnected, so any cleaning or relining is planned into the same job. Coordinating the two trades early avoids the common delay of a new boiler sitting in the basement while a liner is ordered and the paperwork catches up.

• Minor and emergency work: the form must be provided with the permit application
• All other work under a full permit: the form is presented to the code official before the final inspection
• Chimney liner going in: all documentation on the liner must accompany the permit application
• Direct vent replaced by direct vent: no verification is required
• Choosing not to submit verification: the signer must be present for an inspection that removes and reinstalls the vent connector

The liner section

If a liner is part of the job, the form asks for its manufacturer, model and listing, its material (stainless steel or aluminum), the size of the appliance vent and of the liner, the height of the chimney, the connector length and rise, and how the appliance vents: natural draft, fan-assisted or another method.

Those details are what a code official needs to check that the liner suits the appliance. Liner size has to match the appliance's needs and the chimney's height, and the material has to be one the liner's listing allows for that fuel. Keep a copy of the liner paperwork with the house records; the next person who replaces the boiler will need it.

Why New Jersey asks for it

Older New Jersey homes were built around oil or coal heat, with large clay-lined or unlined masonry flues. A modern gas boiler or water heater sends out cooler, wetter exhaust in much smaller volumes. In a flue that is too big and too cold, that exhaust can condense, drip and fail to draft, and the moisture attacks old tile and mortar. Soot and scale left behind by years of oil firing can also break loose and block the new appliance's vent.

Any of these can push exhaust, including carbon monoxide, back into the house. The verification makes sure the chimney gets a real look at the one moment it is most likely to go wrong: when the appliance changes.

Selling a home is a different rule

For a sale, the state rule that applies is about alarms. Before a one- or two-family or attached single-family home is sold, leased or changes occupancy, the owner must obtain a certificate of smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and portable fire extinguisher compliance from the local enforcing agency. That certificate is about alarms and an extinguisher, not the chimney.

We are not aware of a statewide rule requiring a chimney inspection or certification for a home sale. Some towns run their own resale inspections under local ordinances, and many buyers, lenders and insurers ask for a chimney inspection anyway. Check with your municipal construction or fire office for your address.

Getting the chimney ready

If you are replacing a boiler, furnace or water heater, have the chimney inspected before the new equipment is ordered. The inspection tells you whether a liner is needed and what size, which affects both the equipment choice and the permit paperwork. An oil flue usually needs cleaning before a gas appliance goes on it. A water heater left alone in a large flue after the boiler goes direct vent often needs its own liner.

This page is a plain summary of a state form and state rules, not legal advice. Forms are revised, and the version current at your local construction office is the one that counts.