Chimney Sweep in Loves Park, IL
Updated
Loves Park in short
- 10,302
- households in Loves Park
- 1986
- median year built (county 1971)
- 20.2%
- of homes built before 1960 (county 35.5%)
- 81.3%
- heat with utility gas (county 83.5%)
The local numbers
How old the homes are in Loves Park
Loves Park skews newer than Winnebago County as a whole. 25.8% of its 10,675 homes were built in 2000 or later, against 13.6% county-wide, for a median year built of 1986. Newer homes more often have a gas fireplace or a factory-built chimney in a framed chase, and the weak point on those is the chase cover and cap rather than mortar joints.
Utility gas is the main heat in 81.3% of Loves Park's 10,302 occupied homes; electricity heats 17.3%. The Census counts 36 homes here that heat mainly with wood, 0.3% of the total. So for most households the chimney is a furnace and water heater flue first and a fireplace second, which is why a liner sized for a gas appliance matters as much as a clean firebox.
Loves Park's burning ordinance is worth knowing before you clean out the fireplace. Leaf and yard waste burning is prohibited by the Loves Park Fire Department. The city fire code (Ord. 4682-25) prohibits open burning unless approved, and recreational fires and bonfires may burn only seasoned dry firewood and may not be used to get rid of waste. Fireplace ash goes in a lidded metal can at least 10 feet from the house, per the U.S. Fire Administration, and never on a burn pile with leaves.
Loves Park issues its own building permits. The city says "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections" and lists remodeling, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, so a stove, insert or gas insert install is mechanical work that needs a permit. Chimney repair, relining or rebuilding is not named either way; call the Building Department at (815) 654-5033 first.
The city's property maintenance amendment (Ord. 4090-16) requires every fuel-burning appliance to connect to an approved chimney or vent, which is the code reason a chimney gets lined or relined when an appliance is changed.
Loves Park housing and households vs Winnebago County
| Measure | Loves Park | Winnebago County |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 23,502 | 283,292 |
| Housing units | 10,675 | 125,002 |
| Occupied (households) | 10,302 | 116,014 |
| Owner-occupied households | 6,277 (60.9%) | 76,408 (65.9%) |
| Renter households | 4,025 (39.1%) | 39,606 (34.1%) |
| Median year built | 1986 | 1971 |
| Built before 1940 | 5.7% | 15.5% |
| Built before 1960 | 20.2% | 35.5% |
| Built before 1980 | 41.7% | 63.4% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25.8% | 13.6% |
| Single-family detached | 57.7% | 70.4% |
| Mobile homes | 4.4% | 1.3% |
| Main heat: utility gas | 81.3% | 83.5% |
| Main heat: electricity | 17.3% | 12.6% |
| Main heat: wood | 36 homes (0.3%) | 169 homes (0.1%) |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), tables B01003, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25038 and B25040 (house heating fuel).
Local rules
Permits, burning rules and fire service in Loves Park
Wikipedia says a tiny sliver of Loves Park is in Boone County; the Census figures on this page cover the whole city.
- Chimney, stove and liner work
- The city says "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections" and lists remodeling, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, so a stove, insert or gas insert install is mechanical work that needs a permit. Chimney repair, relining or rebuilding is not named either way; call the Building Department at (815) 654-5033 first. source 1 source 2
- Permit office
- The City of Loves Park Building Department, 100 Heart Boulevard, (815) 654-5033, issues permits for "all new buildings, structural changes, remodeling projects, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work," and "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections." Fees are paid at the City Clerk's office. Under the local amendment, replacing doors and windows at the same size and repairing interior wall or ceiling coverings (50% or less of a room, not in a fire rated assembly, no hazardous structural elements exposed) are exempt. Rough-in and final inspections are done for most work; call (815) 654-5033 to schedule. The same department inspects for the Village of Machesney Park under a cooperative agreement that began October 18, 2017. source 1 source 2 source 3
- Code edition
- Ordinance 4689-25, adopted February 17, 2025, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code as the city Residential Code. Its amendments cover R105.2 permit exemptions, R105.7 permit posting, R108.6 work before permit, R313 sprinklers (not required in one and two family dwellings, including additions and alterations) and R322 flood elevation. As of April 1, 2025 the city also uses the 2014 Illinois Plumbing Code with 2021 IPC Chapter 11, the 2021 Illinois Energy Conservation Code and the 2020 NEC with amendments. source 1 source 2
- Contractor rules
- We found no Loves Park general contractor registration. The permit application asks for the Illinois plumbing license number and the roofing license number, and requires the permit holder to post the permit visible from the street. source 1 source 2
- Outdoor burning
- Leaf and yard waste burning is prohibited by the Loves Park Fire Department. The city fire code (Ord. 4682-25) prohibits open burning unless approved, and recreational fires and bonfires may burn only seasoned dry firewood and may not be used to get rid of waste. We could not read the city's size, setback and hours rules for recreational fires online. source 1 source 2
- Fire department
- Loves Park Fire Department, 1535 Windsor Road; non-emergency (815) 282-2600. source
- Also worth knowing
- The city's property maintenance amendment (Ord. 4090-16) requires every fuel-burning appliance to connect to an approved chimney or vent, which is the code reason a chimney gets lined or relined when an appliance is changed. source
About Loves Park. Loves Park is a city in Boone and Winnebago counties, most of it in Winnebago County, with 23,397 residents at the 2020 census. Wikipedia
ZIP codes. 61111 (85% of its land), 61011 (13% of its land), 61114 (2% of its land). Census 2020
Full pricing, the complete service menu, and the rest of the service area are on the chimney sweep in Rockford, IL homepage.
Nearby, sharing a ZIP code with Loves Park
Chimney work
Chimney jobs homeowners ask about in Loves Park
Common questions
Loves Park chimney sweep questions
Does chimney work need a permit in Loves Park?
The city says "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections" and lists remodeling, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, so a stove, insert or gas insert install is mechanical work that needs a permit. Chimney repair, relining or rebuilding is not named either way; call the Building Department at (815) 654-5033 first.
Can I burn leaves or have a fire pit in Loves Park?
Leaf and yard waste burning is prohibited by the Loves Park Fire Department. The city fire code (Ord. 4682-25) prohibits open burning unless approved, and recreational fires and bonfires may burn only seasoned dry firewood and may not be used to get rid of waste. We could not read the city's size, setback and hours rules for recreational fires online.
Which fire department covers Loves Park?
Loves Park Fire Department, 1535 Windsor Road; non-emergency (815) 282-2600.
How old are the chimneys in Loves Park?
The Census does not count chimneys, but it does date the homes. Per the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, the median home in Loves Park was built in 1986 (Winnebago County: 1971). 5.7% of its 10,675 homes were built before 1940 and 20.2% before 1960, against 35.5% county-wide.
What does a chimney sweep cost in Loves Park?
No cost guide publishes a Rockford figure. Angi's national guide puts a sweep at $129 to $381 with an average of $254, and HomeGuide says $150 to $375. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $260 to $460 on Angi's sweep guide. The full price table shows each source and its date.
How often should a chimney in Loves Park be swept?
The national standard, NFPA 211, says chimneys, fireplaces and vents should be inspected at least once a year, with cleaning done if it is needed. With 81.3% of homes here heating with gas, that inspection covers the furnace and water heater flue too, not only the fireplace. Book it outside chimney swift nesting season, which in Illinois runs from spring through September.
Do chimney contractors have to be licensed or registered in Loves Park?
We found no Loves Park general contractor registration. The permit application asks for the Illinois plumbing license number and the roofing license number, and requires the permit holder to post the permit visible from the street. Illinois has no state chimney sweep license that we could find; roof and flashing work can fall under the state roofing license.
Chimney due for a sweep in Loves Park?
Tell us the address, what you burn and when the chimney was last swept. We reply with a price before any work is scheduled.