A practical checklist for elevator inspections — what gets checked, how often, and who is qualified to sign off. Requirements vary by state and local code, so always confirm specifics with your AHJ.
Elevator Inspection Checklist: What Gets Checked and How Often
Elevators are among the most heavily regulated systems in any building, and for good reason — a single failure can injure occupants or trap them between floors. If you inspect, maintain, or manage elevators, the difference between a clean inspection and a violation usually comes down to whether anything was missed.
This checklist walks through what a typical elevator inspection covers, how often each item is generally required, and how to document it so it holds up with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
Who is qualified to inspect an elevator?
Most jurisdictions require elevator inspections to be performed by a Qualified Elevator Inspector (QEI) certified under ASME QEI-1. Many states also license or register inspectors separately, and some require that the inspecting party be independent of the maintenance company.
Routine operational checks — the monthly items below — are commonly performed by building staff or the maintenance contractor, while periodic and acceptance testing is witnessed or performed by a QEI. Confirm the split with your state elevator authority, because it varies considerably.
How often elevators must be inspected
Frequencies are set by ASME A17.1/CSA B44 (the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators) as adopted and amended by your jurisdiction. In broad terms:
- Monthly: firefighters' emergency operation (Phase I and Phase II) operational checks
- Periodic (commonly annual): general safety inspection of the car, hoistway, machine room and door equipment
- Category 1 (commonly annual): no-load safety and operational testing
- Category 5 (commonly every five years): full-load, rated-speed testing of safeties, governors and buffers
- Acceptance: after new installation or an alteration
Adopted code editions differ by state, so treat these as a starting point rather than a universal rule.
The elevator inspection checklist
Inside the car
- Car operating panel buttons, indicators and audible signals functioning
- Emergency communication device working, two-way, and reaching a monitored location
- Emergency lighting operates on loss of normal power
- Certificate of inspection posted and current, where required
- Car door restrictor operating correctly
- Leveling accuracy at each landing
- Handrails, flooring, ceiling and lighting intact
- Load plate and capacity signage legible
Doors and entrances
- Door reopening device (photo eye or edge) responds correctly
- Door closing force and speed within limits
- Interlocks prevent movement with doors open
- Hoistway doors cannot be opened from the landing without a key
- Sills, tracks and gibs clean and undamaged
Hoistway and pit
- Pit clean, dry and free of stored material
- Pit stop switch and light functioning
- Pit ladder present and secure where required
- Buffers in good condition and properly charged
- Guide rails, brackets and fastenings secure
- Travelling cables free of damage and chafing
- Counterweight and clearances correct
Machine room
- Room clean, secured, and not used for unrelated storage
- Adequate lighting and a working light switch at the entrance
- Machine, motor, brake and drive condition
- Governor tagged and within its test interval
- Disconnect properly labelled and accessible
- Fire extinguisher present where required
- Wiring diagrams and maintenance records available
Firefighters' emergency operation
- Phase I recall returns the car to the designated level and parks with doors open
- Alternate level recall functions when the designated level detector initiates
- Phase II in-car operation functions as intended
- Fire hat indicator illuminates or flashes correctly
- Smoke detectors serving recall are within their NFPA 72 test interval
- Machine room and hoistway detection, and shunt trip where sprinklers are present, function correctly
Documenting the inspection
The inspection itself is only half the job — the record is what satisfies the AHJ and protects you in a dispute. A defensible record generally includes the date and inspector identity, the device or unit identifier, the specific tests performed, pass or fail results per item, photographs of any deficiency, and the corrective action taken with its date.
Paper logs are where this usually breaks down. Records get stored in a truck, a filing cabinet, or a technician's phone, and reproducing a two-year history for an AHJ becomes a scramble.
Common deficiencies
- Storage in the pit or machine room — one of the most frequently cited findings
- Emergency phone not reaching a monitored location, or no two-way audio
- Expired or missing inspection certificate in the car
- Door restrictor out of adjustment
- Governor past its test interval
- Recall detectors tested by the fire alarm contractor but never documented against the elevator record
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for monthly firefighters' service testing?
In most jurisdictions the building owner is responsible, though the task is often delegated to the maintenance contractor. The obligation stays with the owner regardless of who performs it.
Does the fire alarm contractor or the elevator contractor test recall?
Both touch it. The fire alarm contractor tests the initiating devices under NFPA 72; the elevator contractor verifies the elevator responds correctly under ASME A17.1. Gaps between the two trades are a common source of findings.
How long should inspection records be kept?
Retention requirements vary, but keeping records for at least the current and previous inspection cycle is a sensible minimum — and longer where your AHJ or insurer requires it.
Software built for elevator service records
Essential is all-in-one elevator service software — digital checklists on mobile, per-unit service history, automated due-date tracking, deficiency logging with photos, and inspection reports generated the moment you finish.
