This page is for you if you run a chimney sweep business in Austria, especially in Styria. Your business has one special feature: for safety-related tasks, there are sweeping districts (Kehrgebiete). Under the Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018 (Styrian Chimney Sweeping Regulation), owners must hire the chimney sweep responsible under the Kehrgebietsverordnung (Sweeping District Regulation). Under the Gewerbeordnung (Trade Regulation Act), however, cleaning and maintenance-related sweeping are not safety-related tasks. Exactly this distinction is missing from most chimney sweeps' websites. Customers can't find out whether you're responsible for their municipality and which services they can book with you. So they call just to ask. The Impressum (legal notice) is often incomplete too. Rauchfangkehrer (chimney sweep) is a regulated craft. That's why your chamber, professional title, a reference to the Gewerbeordnung and the supervisory authority belong in it. Here you'll see which pages you need, what goes in the Impressum and what the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (Accessibility Act) means.
Websites for chimney sweeps: what they need, what they cost
The pages a chimney sweep website needs
Home page
- Which sweeping district (Kehrgebiet) or municipalities you are responsible for
- Clickable phone number, office hours
- Briefly explained: safety-related tasks vs. other services
Services
- Sweeping and inspection of heating systems
- Other services such as cleaning, flue gas measurement, advice
- What customers should prepare before the appointment
Sweeping district & responsibility
- List of municipalities/localities in the sweeping district
- Reference to the Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018 (Styrian Chimney Sweeping Regulation) and the Kehrgebietsverordnung (Sweeping District Regulation)
- How switching to a different chimney sweep works (to be filled in by the business)
Contact & appointment request
- Form with property address, type of heating system, preferred date
- Data protection notice
Impressum (legal notice) & privacy
- Trade: Rauchfangkehrer, chamber, supervisory authority, reference to the GewO (Trade Regulation Act)
- Privacy policy
What a chimney sweep website looks like in practice
Click through Rauchfangkehrermeister Gruber, a demo website (in German) for a made-up business with everything listed above.
- Kehrtermin-Abfrage
- Heizsaison-Checkliste
- CO-Sicherheitsinfo
Mandatory information for chimney sweeps
„Rauchfangkehrer (Handwerk) (§ 94 Z 55 GewO 1994)“ is a regulated trade (reglementiertes Gewerbe). Responsible body at the Wirtschaftskammer (Chamber of Commerce): Landesinnung der Rauchfangkehrer der WKO Steiermark (division Gewerbe und Handwerk). On top of the general imprint (Impressum) details, your website needs:
- Chamber membership: Wirtschaftskammer Steiermark (Styrian Chamber of Commerce), Landesinnung (regional guild) der Rauchfangkehrer
- Professional title: Rauchfangkehrer (trade), awarded in Austria
- Reference to professional regulations: Gewerbeordnung (GewO, Trade Regulation Act), available at www.ris.bka.gv.at; also useful: Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018 and Steiermärkische Kehrgebietsverordnung 2015 (Styrian chimney sweeping and sweeping district regulations, also in the RIS)
- Supervisory authority: the responsible trade authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat at your location)
- UID number (VAT ID), if you have one; Firmenbuch (company register) number and court, if registered
What else belongs in the imprint depends on your legal form: Impressum (legal notice) for sole traders (EPU) and e.U., Impressum (legal notice) for a GmbH, Disclosure under § 25 MedienG and Impressum under § 24 MedienG.
Online booking: Does the Accessibility Act apply?
Many chimney sweeps' websites are information sites with a contact form. According to the WKO, the BaFG (Accessibility Act) does not apply to pure information sites with no way to order or book; whether a contact form alone is enough is disputed. If you offer private customers online appointment booking, that counts as a service in electronic commerce. As a micro-enterprise (fewer than 10 employees and no more than €2 million in turnover or balance sheet total), you are exempt from this, according to the Sozialministeriumservice.
Common mistakes on chimney sweep websites
- You never say which municipalities or which sweeping district you are responsible for.
- You mix up safety-related tasks and other services. Under § 120 GewO, cleaning and maintenance-related sweeping are not safety-related tasks.
- You put rates on the website without a source or date, and forget to update them.
- Your Impressum (legal notice) is missing the professional title, chamber or supervisory authority.
- The phone number can't be tapped on a mobile, and office hours are missing.
- The contact form doesn't ask for the property address. You can't check whether you're responsible.
How Weblux does it
Weblux builds websites for businesses in Austria and sells only to businesses. You see the first draft within minutes and you're live in under 7 days. Auftritt costs €290 setup and €29 a month. Kundenmagnet costs €490 and €49 a month, with online booking or a blog. Kundenmaschine costs €590 and €59 a month, with booking and a blog. All prices are net, excl. VAT. You can cancel monthly.
Prices net, excl. VAT I work exclusively for businesses.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers in Styria choose their chimney sweep freely?
For safety-related tasks, owners must, under § 6 Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018 (Styrian Chimney Sweeping Regulation), hire the chimney sweep responsible under the Kehrgebietsverordnung (Sweeping District Regulation). Under § 123 GewO, sweeping districts must in principle be drawn so that at least two such businesses are viable. Under § 120 GewO, cleaning and maintenance-related sweeping are not considered safety-related and are not tied to the sweeping district.
Is Rauchfangkehrer a regulated trade?
Yes. Rauchfangkehrer (chimney sweep) is listed as a craft in § 94 Z 55 of the Gewerbeordnung (Trade Regulation Act). You need a certificate of competence. That's why, in the Impressum (legal notice), you state your professional title, the country in which it was awarded and a reference to the Gewerbeordnung with a link to ris.bka.gv.at. It's also useful to mention the Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018, which is also available in the RIS.
Does my chimney sweep website have to be accessible?
The Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (Accessibility Act) has applied since 28 June 2025 to consumer services in electronic commerce, such as online appointment booking. According to the WKO, pure information sites with no way to order or book are not covered. As a micro-enterprise with fewer than 10 employees and no more than €2 million in turnover or balance sheet total, you are exempt for services, according to the Sozialministeriumservice.
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- RIS – GewO 1994 § 94 (reglementierte Gewerbe) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- RIS – GewO 1994 § 120 (Rauchfangkehrer) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- RIS – GewO 1994 § 123 (Kehrgebiete) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- RIS – Steiermärkische Kehrordnung 2018 (StKO 2018) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- RIS – Steiermärkische Kehrgebietsverordnung 2015 (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- Parlament – Mehr Wettbewerb bei Rauchfangkehrern (PK 279/2015) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- WKO Steiermark – Landesinnung der Rauchfangkehrer (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- WKO – Rauchfangkehrer und Bestatter, Bundesinnung (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- WKO – Informationspflichten nach dem E-Commerce-Gesetz (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- WKO – Barrierefreiheitsgesetz im E-Commerce (FAQ) (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
- Sozialministeriumservice – Allgemeine Informationen zum Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (retrieved on 3 October 2026)
Last checked on 3 October 2026.