FIREPLACELAB
A freestanding wood-burning stove heating a finished living room

Wood stove installation in Ithaca, New York

Tompkins County / Finger Lakes. Heat your home, even when the power goes out: the permit, the local rules, and who installs here.

Free to request · No obligation to hire
Photograph · Clay Banks / Unsplash

Before you install in Ithaca.

I

Heating installers must register

The City of Ithaca requires every heating or ventilation contractor or installer to hold a certificate of registration, renewed yearly, to work in the city.

Local details
II

New chimneys go to a hearing

Ithaca’s 2013 design guidelines send adding a new chimney, or removing one without in-kind replacement, to a public Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing.

Local details
III

Two installers with Ithaca addresses

Ithaca Stoveworks on South Meadow Street and ANC’s Danby Road office both say they sell and install wood stoves for Ithaca homes.

Local details

The coldest month here, January, has a 1991–2020 normal of 22.8°F at the ITHACA CORNELL UNIV, NY station. One station is a planning reference, not a reading for every address. NOAA station normals

Local businesses to contact directly

Wood stove installers in Ithaca.

Compare installation providers and nearby showrooms. Check service coverage and assessment fees directly, or request help finding an installer.

  1. I

    ANC Heating & Air Conditioning

    Sales & installation · Greater Ithaca office at 950 Danby Road, Ithaca; Endicott showroom; Ithaca service page
    Wood stovesFireplace insertsHearth showroom

    An Endicott-based heating contractor that lists a Greater Ithaca office on Danby Road. Its Ithaca page says it offers Ithaca residents gas and wood fireplace products, including efficient woodstoves from brands such as Vermont Castings and Blaze King, with installation. Its showroom is in Endicott. Confirm it holds a current City of Ithaca heating registration and will file the permit.

    View business & contact detailsANC: homepage (office addresses)Website reviewed Oct 23, 2026 · Not contacted by FireplaceLab
  2. II

    Ithaca Stoveworks

    Sales & installation · South Meadow Street, Ithaca, next to Ithaca Agway; serves Ithaca, Tompkins County, Cortland County and the Finger Lakes
    Wood stovesWood insertsChimney sweepingInspections

    Founded in 1976 and family-owned, it says it sells and installs wood, pellet and gas stoves and fireplace inserts and has three CSIA-certified sweeps on staff for cleaning and inspections. Its site names Ithaca and Tompkins County. Ask whether its crew or a subcontractor installs liners, and who files the City or Town permit.

    View business & contact detailsIthaca Stoveworks: About UsWebsite reviewed Oct 23, 2026 · Not contacted by FireplaceLab
  3. III

    Papa Bears Stoves and Outdoor Living

    Sales & installation · 96 Cortland St, Marathon; Areas We Serve list names Ithaca, Dryden and Cortland
    Wood stovesInsertsDelivery & installation

    A Marathon showroom carrying HearthStone and Blaze King wood stoves that says it provides delivery and installation of wood, gas and pellet systems across Central New York. Ithaca is on its service-area list, though its Ithaca page discusses pellet stoves. The store is in Cortland County, so confirm travel, scheduling and City of Ithaca heating registration.

    View business & contact detailsPapa Bears: Areas We ServeWebsite reviewed Oct 23, 2026 · Not contacted by FireplaceLab

Unpaid listings, shown alphabetically. Website research is not contractor vetting or confirmation of a partnership. Confirm qualifications and insurance before hiring.

Details your installer can help confirm

Wood stove permits in Ithaca.

City of Ithaca Building Division permit for any solid-fuel appliance.

Inside the City of Ithaca, the Building Division at City Hall (108 E. Green St., 4th floor, 607-274-6510) issues building permits, and applications go through the City’s OpenGov portal. The General Permit page says a building permit is required for installing a solid-fuel-burning heating appliance, chimney or flue, and the permit information page lists that work among items that are never exempt. Applications need insurance certificates, a project cost and dimensioned drawings, and heating contractors must be registered with the City. The Permit Review page says permits for work of $5,000 or less cost $50. The Town of Ithaca is a separate municipality with its own code office, so confirm which one covers your address.

City of Ithaca: General Permit

Who this guide fits in a rental-heavy city.

Most Ithaca homes are rented, and the City inspects every rental dwelling, including one- and two-family houses and accessory apartments in single-family homes, with an Owner Occupancy Form among its housing inspection forms. A stove changes the heating system an inspector reviews, so this guide fits owner-occupants of houses. Tenants should not add a stove and should raise heating concerns with the owner; landlords should expect the stove and chimney to be part of later housing inspections.

City of Ithaca: Housing Inspections

Landmark and historic-district chimneys

Ithaca has eight local historic districts, including DeWitt Park, East Hill, Cornell Heights and University Hill, plus individual landmarks. Exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness, and all ILPC-reviewed work also needs a building permit. The 2013 design guidelines say chimneys should be preserved even if unused; repointing is a staff-level matter, while adding a new chimney goes to a public hearing. Talk to the Historic Preservation and Neighborhood Planner (607-274-6555) before choosing a flue route.

City of Ithaca: Historic Preservation

Yearly registration for heating contractors

The City’s contractor page says every heating or ventilation engineer, contractor or installer needs a certificate of registration to work in the City of Ithaca, renewed each year, with applications through OpenGov. Plumbers and electricians are licensed separately by the City. Ask any stove installer, especially one based outside the city, whether its City of Ithaca heating registration is current before you sign.

City of Ithaca: Contractor Licensing & Registration

Town of Ithaca addresses use a different office

The Town of Ithaca surrounds the city and runs its own Department of Code Enforcement at 215 N. Tioga St. (607-273-1783), with its own OpenGov permit portal. Its 2026 permit directions ask applicants to show the location of heat-producing equipment such as furnaces, water heaters and wood stoves. If your Ithaca mailing address is outside city limits, the Town, not the City Building Division, handles the permit.

Town of Ithaca: Directions for Applying for a Building Permit (2026)

This is a planning guide, not a permit determination. The local authority and your installer must confirm current requirements for your property and appliance. We have not verified project-specific approvals or fees.

Choose the right project

Wood stoves and fireplace inserts in Ithaca.

Freestanding wood stove in a bright living room
INew stove or replacement

Install a wood-burning stove.

An enclosed stove with a chimney system designed for your home. An installer assesses placement, venting, and the space you want to heat.

About wood stoves
Existing fireplace illustrating a hearth to assess for an insert
IIExisting fireplace

Explore a fireplace insert.

Use a suitable existing fireplace as the starting point. Have the opening, chimney, and liner assessed for the proposed insert.

About inserts

Can you install a wood stove without a chimney?

A new wood stove can sometimes be installed with a new chimney system. Ask a Ithaca-area provider to assess a suitable route and quote the complete job. Installation without an existing chimney

Want heat during a power outage?

Many cordwood stoves provide heat without electricity. Ask about your exact model, any powered blower, and the rooms it can heat. Read the power-outage heating guide

Room photographs illustrate project starting points; they are not installations completed through FireplaceLab.

Understand the full installed cost

Wood stove installation costs in Ithaca.

U.S. planning ranges to prepare for a Ithaca quote. They are national estimates, not measured Ithaca averages or offers from listed businesses.

Freestanding wood stove$2,500–$7,500
Wood-burning insert$3,000–$8,000+
New installation, no chimney$5,500–$9,000+

Unit and typical installation ranges from HomeGuide’s national cost guide, reviewed Sep 28, 2026. These are alternative project scenarios, not amounts to add together. Repairs, access, venting, permits, and premium models can move costs higher.

What to ask a Ithaca installer.

  1. Is my address inside the City of Ithaca or the Town of Ithaca, and which code office will you file the permit with?
  2. Does your company hold a current City of Ithaca heating contractor registration?
  3. Is my house a local landmark or in a local historic district, and does the flue route need a Certificate of Appropriateness?

Compare quotes on the same scope.

Request separate details for the appliance, chimney or liner, hearth work, labor, removal, permits, inspections, and exclusions. Confirm any paid assessment before booking.

Will you save on heating?

There is no reliable single savings figure for every Ithaca home. Compare your current heating cost with delivered dry wood, appliance efficiency, how much heat you will replace, maintenance, and the upfront installation. Backup comfort and financial payback are separate decisions. Compare all heating options

Answers before you request a quote

Ithaca wood stove installation FAQs.

Do I need a permit for a wood stove in Ithaca?

Yes. The City of Ithaca’s General Permit page lists installing a solid-fuel-burning heating appliance, chimney or flue among work that needs a building permit, and its permit page says that work is never exempt. The Building Division at City Hall issues permits through OpenGov. Permits for work of $5,000 or less cost $50, according to the Permit Review page; larger jobs follow the fee schedule.

I rent in Ithaca. Can I add a wood stove?

Not on your own. The City inspects rental dwellings of every size, including one- and two-family houses, and the permit and heating system belong to the owner. A stove also ties into a chimney that may serve other units. Tenants should raise heating concerns with the landlord. This guide is aimed at owner-occupants planning a project in a house they live in.

My house is in East Hill or Fall Creek. What changes?

East Hill is one of Ithaca’s eight local historic districts (Fall Creek is not on the City’s list), so check your address first. In a local district, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness and a building permit. The City’s 2013 guidelines treat repointing a chimney as staff-level work, while adding a new chimney goes to a public ILPC hearing. Using an existing masonry chimney with a liner may be simpler; ask the preservation planner.

What FireplaceLab does

Explore your options. Then get a quote for your home.

  1. I

    Answer two simple questions

    Tell us what’s there now and what you want from wood heat. No contact details needed.

  2. II

    See options and rough costs

    Explore a suitable starting point and national installed cost ranges.

  3. III

    Request a local quote

    When you’re ready, share your home details. We’ll look for an installer to assess the job and quote the work.

FireplaceLab is an installer-matching service. Your installer handles the assessment, quote, and installation. A request does not book work or guarantee a match.

Wood stove installation · Ithaca, New York

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Tell us where you live and what you want to install. We’ll look for a local professional to assess the work.

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