With the new regulation of the chimney sweeping sector in 2008, the chimney sweeping law in Germany was designed in conformity with the European legal requirements on the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services. Only a limited sovereign area remains, and chimney sweeping work has been opened up to competition:
Authorized district chimney sweeps (formerly "master district chimney sweeps") are reserved for the sovereign tasks of inspecting fireplaces, issuing fireplace notices, carrying out inspections on specific occasions, carrying out building inspections and carrying out replacement inspections; they are appointed to a district for seven years on the basis of a call for tenders. In addition, they are responsible for keeping the sweep book for this district and for checking that the owner's obligations are met on time.
A state fee schedule applies to these tasks (see legal basis, Annex 3 to § 6 of the Sweeping and Inspection Regulations - KÜO).
The non-sovereign tasks - "free" chimney sweeping work - can be carried out by any company that is authorized to carry out chimney sweeping activities in Germany under craft law. The (free) chimney sweeping work to be carried out until the next fireplace inspection is listed in the fireplace notice. The house and apartment owners must arrange for this work to be carried out themselves. If the authorized district chimney sweep is not commissioned, proof of completion must be provided to the district chimney sweep by means of a form (see related topics: "Chimney sweeping work; notification in the event of non-initiation").
The prices for these competing chimney sweeping services are freely negotiable.
For more information, contact the district administration office, which can also provide you with the name of the authorized district chimney sweep(s) responsible for you.
If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.