It starts with a $59 visit, credited into the job if you go ahead with the work. Call (916) 833-2959, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and book the camera scan.
A flashlight and a mirror show you the firebox, the damper, and maybe the first foot or two of the smoke chamber. Past that, the flue disappears around a bend and nobody can see it. That’s why a level 2 exists. A camera goes where a mirror can’t, joint by joint, and it either confirms the flue is sound or it shows you exactly where it isn’t.
When a level 2 is required
Code doesn’t require a level 2 on every chimney every year. It requires one when something has changed, or when someone other than you needs proof of the chimney’s condition in writing. In practice, that means:
- You’re buying or selling a house and the transaction needs a documented inspection.
- There’s been a chimney fire, even a small one. Ask about signs of a chimney fire if you’re not sure whether you had one.
- You’re installing a new liner, a new insert, or changing the fuel type the chimney vents.
- A level 1 turned up a crack, a smell, or a stain that doesn’t match what’s visible from the firebox.
- The chimney sat unused for a season or more and you don’t know its history.
Outside those situations, most chimneys are fine with the visual check alone. More on that below.
What NFPA 211 says about a level 2 inspection
The three-level system isn’t something any one company invented. It comes from NFPA 211, the national standard that defines what a chimney inspection has to cover at each tier. It’s the same standard every legitimate inspector in the country works from, not just the ones in Sacramento. For the full breakdown of all three tiers, see chimney inspection levels explained.
For a level 2, the short version is this: it adds the camera. That’s the level written documentation usually has to reference when a lender, an insurer, or a buyer’s agent is the one asking for it.
What a level 2 inspection checks
A level 2 doesn’t replace the visual pass. It adds to it. Here’s what’s covered, start to finish:
- Everything a level 1 covers: firebox, damper, crown, cap, and flashing.
- A video scan down the full flue, joint by joint.
- Every bend and offset a flashlight can’t reach.
- The liner’s material and condition, section by section.
- Creosote or glaze built up on the flue walls.
- Separated joints or gaps where heat and debris collect.
Cleaning isn’t part of either level. If the scan shows buildup or damage, that’s priced and scheduled separately, only if the visit calls for it.
The chimney camera inspection: what the video shows
The camera doesn’t lie, and that surprises people almost every time. On an older brick stack in Midtown or East Sacramento, the first few feet usually look fine from the firebox with a mirror. The real story starts one joint past the first offset, where the flue jogs around the fireplace throat. That’s where mortar between tile sections shows its first hairline crack, exactly the spot a flashlight from the hearth can’t reach.
It goes right past that bend. If a liner is starting to fail, that joint is usually where I catch it first, well before it turns into the five signs your chimney liner has failed the hard way.
You see the footage as it happens. Not a written summary of what someone else looked at later, the actual video, on the spot.
Two reasons people book this
Almost everyone calling for a level 2 falls into one of two situations.
The first is a home sale. If you’re under contract, timing matters more than the level does. Book a real estate chimney inspection service early enough that the report clears before your contingency period runs out, not the week it’s due. Allow at least a business day for the written report, and more when photographs or repair notes need sorting.
A liner already in question is the second reason, whether from age, a prior chimney fire, or a level 1 that found something it couldn’t explain. The camera settles it either way. Sound liner, you’re done. Failing liner, you get a real number for the repair before anything is scheduled.
Level 1 vs. level 2 chimney inspection: which one you need
There’s also a level 3, which is the rare one. It can mean opening part of the chimney structure to see something the camera flagged but couldn’t confirm from the inside. The rest is priced on site, after someone has looked at it.
| Your situation | Level that fits |
|---|---|
| Annual check-up, nothing’s changed, chimney’s behaved fine | Level 1 |
| Just moved in, no history on the chimney | Level 1, moving to Level 2 if anything looks off |
| Buying or selling, and the deal needs it in writing | Level 2 |
| New liner, new appliance, or the flue changed in any way | Level 2 |
| Chimney fire, no matter how small it looked | Level 2 |
| A level 1 found a crack, smell, or stain with no clear source | Level 2 |
What a level 2 inspection costs
There’s no flat rate here. It starts with the $59 visit, and once the camera’s down there, the price depends on how far it has to run, how many flues there are, and what it finds along the way. A single straight flue on a single-story roof is a different job than three flues on a two-story house with a steep pitch.
Guessing at a range that doesn’t fit most houses isn’t useful. The number gets set on site, out loud, before anything past the $59 happens. For the full breakdown across every service, including basic cleaning and cap work, chimney inspection cost in Sacramento lays out every starting figure the business publishes.
Call (916) 833-2959 and ask for the $59 inspection. It’s open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and that $59 comes off the price of the job the moment you decide to move forward. You only pay if you don’t.
When you don’t need the camera
Most chimneys don’t need a level 2. Not every year, not ever, unless something on the list above applies. If your chimney was swept and inspected within the last twelve months, nothing’s changed, and you’re not in the middle of a sale, a level 1 is genuinely enough. Paying for a video scan on a chimney that’s behaving normally is money spent confirming what the visual check already told you for free.
The exception runs to the foothills. Most valley homeowners in Sacramento burn four to ten fires a season, gas starter, glass doors closed, nothing that stresses the flue. Out past Auburn, in Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Pollock Pines, wood is the actual heat source for the house, burned daily from November through March. That kind of use builds a season’s worth of creosote in one winter, and on an older flue up there, skipping the camera after a heavy burn season is a real gamble, not a shortcut.
What people say after the camera goes down
Google has Americas Chimney Sweep at 4.95 across 62 reviews as of this writing. Michael replied to every one of them himself. To read the rest, hear it from someone who is not us.
Booking a level 2 inspection around Sacramento
Michael runs every level 2 himself, camera and all. There’s no dispatch, no separate inspector, and no rotating crew. Americas Chimney Sweep is licensed under CSLB #1150991, C-29 Masonry, and covers five counties out from Nevada City. If you’re in the Sacramento area and under contract with a closing date, book a slot for Sacramento and get the camera scan on the calendar before the timeline gets tight.
Questions about level 2 inspections
What is a level 2 chimney inspection?
It’s a chimney inspection that adds a video scan down the full flue, on top of the standard visual check of the firebox, damper, crown, cap, and flashing. It’s the level a lender, insurer, or buyer’s agent usually wants documented, and it’s the right call after a chimney fire or before a new liner.
Level 1 vs. level 2 chimney inspection: what’s different?
A level 1 is a visual check of everything a flashlight and mirror can reach. A level 2 adds a camera down the flue, past every bend, to check the liner and joints section by section. Most annual chimneys only need a level 1. Real estate deals and chimney fires usually call for a level 2.
Do I need to search for a level 2 chimney inspection near me, or does someone come to me?
Michael comes to you. The service runs five counties out from Nevada City, so call and confirm you’re in range before booking. The same person who runs the camera scan is who does the repair if the flue needs one, so there’s no separate inspector to schedule around.
How long does a level 2 chimney inspection take?
Longer than a level 1, since the camera has to run the full length of the flue and any bends slow it down. Multiple flues or a steep roof add time on top of that. You’ll get a real estimate on the call once Michael knows what the house looks like, not a generic window.
Is the $59 fee refundable?
It’s not refundable. But it isn’t wasted either. Go ahead with any work the inspection turns up, and the $59 is credited into the job total. Decide not to proceed, and the $59 is what you owe. Nothing gets added after the fact.
What happens if the camera finds something?
You get a real number in person, on the spot, based on what the footage shows. Six jobs have a published price. Bigger repairs, like a full liner replacement, get priced after Michael’s seen the scan, because a number given blind would just be a guess.
A level 2 chimney inspection is the only way to know what’s actually inside your flue instead of guessing from the firebox. Call (916) 833-2959, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and claim a window before your timeline gets tight.