How Niagara Region is built
- Before 1961 32%
- 1961–1990 35%
- 1991–2000 10%
- 2001 or later 24%
This page covers the Niagara Region municipalities outside St. Catharines, which has its own pages: Niagara Falls, Welland, Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Thorold, Port Colborne, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, West Lincoln and Wainfleet.
Why inspections matter in Niagara Region
Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1981–2010 climate normal at Ridgeville (4.0 km from the middle of the area) is 3,656 heating degree-days a year, with a January mean of −4.4°C. Of the 119,050 houses in Niagara Region (single-detached, semi-detached, row houses, duplexes and mobile homes), 32% were built before 1961 and 67% before 1991, according to the 2021 Census.
WETT Inc., the non-profit that trains and registers wood-energy professionals across Canada, says hiring a WETT-certified professional ensures wood-burning appliances are inspected, installed and maintained to current safety codes and standards, and helps homeowners meet insurance or regulatory requirements.
What a wood-burning inspection checks
An inspection looks at what the fire and installation codes regulate:
- The chimney, flue and flue pipe: structural problems such as a missing liner or inadequate supports, and decay such as cracking, crumbling mortar, corrosion or separated sections (National Fire Code notes).
- Creosote and soot: deposits more than 3 mm thick mean the chimney needs cleaning right away and should be inspected more often.
- Clearances: the required space between the appliance, flue pipe or chimney and anything combustible, which must be kept clear.
- The installation: CSA B365 is the installation code for solid-fuel appliances, covering installation, alteration and maintenance.
- The appliance itself: whether it's certified to CSA B415.1 or the US EPA standard, which you can usually tell from its label or plate.
Finding a WETT-certified inspector
Search the WETT directory ↗ for certified professionals near Niagara Falls and the rest of Niagara Region, and ask your home insurer what it needs to see when you add a stove or buy a house that has one. WETT doesn't publish inspection prices, so get two or three written quotes and ask what each inspection includes.
Keeping it safe between inspections
- Burn dry wood: the US EPA says wood burns best below 20% moisture; check it with a moisture meter.
- Dense smoke at the top of the chimney is a warning sign of poor operation, a wrongly sized chimney or unsuitable fuel (National Fire Code note).
- Keep combustible things out of the clearance space around the stove and flue pipe.
- Have the chimney inspected after any chimney fire, and when you add or replace an appliance.
Communities we cover in Niagara Region
Every town, village and hamlet below is part of this page, grouped by municipality (2021 Census population).
- City of Niagara Falls 94,415Chippawa
- City of Welland 55,750
- Town of Fort Erie 32,901Ridgeway, Stevensville
- Town of Grimsby 28,883
- Town of Lincoln 25,719Beamsville, Campden, Jordan Station, Vineland
- City of Thorold 23,816Allanburg
- City of Port Colborne 20,033Sherkston
- Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake 19,088Mississauga Beach, Queenston, Virgil
- Town of Pelham 18,192Fenwick
- Township of West Lincoln 15,454Caistor Centre, Smithville
- Township of Wainfleet 6,887
Covered on city pages: St. Catharines.
Wood-burning appliance inspections (WETT) in Niagara Region: common questions
How often should a wood stove chimney be inspected in Niagara Region?
Ontario's Fire Code requires every chimney, flue and flue pipe to be inspected at least once every 12 months, when an appliance is added and after any chimney fire, and cleaned as often as needed to keep combustible deposits from building up.
What is a WETT inspection?
An inspection of a wood-burning appliance and its chimney or venting by a professional certified through the WETT program, which WETT Inc. says helps homeowners meet insurance or regulatory requirements.
How do I find a WETT-certified inspector near Niagara Falls?
Search the WETT directory on wettinc.ca, then confirm the inspector covers your address and ask what the inspection includes.
How much does a WETT inspection cost?
WETT doesn’t publish prices and we found no reliable published range, so ask two or three inspectors for written quotes.
What is a certified wood stove?
One tested to CSA B415.1 or certified by the US EPA for emissions. The EPA’s 2020 limit for new room heaters is 2.0 grams of particles per hour (crib wood) or 2.5 g/h (cord wood).