How often are elevators inspected?

In most US states, passenger elevators are inspected annually, with a more thorough five-year inspection that includes a full-load brake and safety test. Some cities require more frequent inspections — New York City requires annual periodic inspection plus annual Category 1 testing and Category 5 testing every five years. In the UK, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require thorough examination of passenger lifts at least every six months. Hospitals and high-rise commercial buildings are typically inspected and serviced far more often than code minimum.

What does an elevator inspection consist of?

Inspectors check the cab, hoistway doors, control system, brakes, safeties, governor, cables, pit, and machine room. They verify that door interlocks function, leveling is within tolerance, emergency communication works, and safety brakes engage when the governor trips. The five-year Category 5 test adds a full-load brake and safety test where the cab is loaded to rated capacity and the safety system is tested under controlled conditions.

What does the elevator inspection certificate mean?

The certificate shows that a licensed inspector has verified the elevator meets the applicable code on the test date. It should be posted inside the cab or in the machine room, clearly visible, and current. An expired certificate means the elevator is past its required inspection date. In most jurisdictions, operating an elevator on an expired certificate is a code violation.

Who inspects elevators?

Inspectors are licensed by the state or province. In the US, many inspections are performed by third-party inspectors certified under the ASME QEI-1 standard (Qualified Elevator Inspector), contracted by the building owner. State elevator safety offices and city building departments audit and occasionally re-inspect. In the UK, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require thorough examination by a competent person at least every six months for passenger lifts.

What if my building's inspection certificate is missing or expired?

Ask building management for the current certificate. If they can't produce one, or it's expired, file a complaint with the state or city elevator safety office. In many jurisdictions, operating an elevator without a current certificate is a citable violation. The inspection system is designed to be public — certificates are meant to be visible — so a hidden or missing certificate is itself a warning.

How much does an elevator inspection cost?

Routine inspections range from roughly $200 to $600 per elevator in the US, depending on the jurisdiction and the elevator type. The more thorough five-year Category 5 test typically costs more because it requires loading the cab to rated capacity and setting up the controlled brake and safety tests. Building owners pay; tenants never do. These figures are approximate and vary significantly by jurisdiction and elevator type.

Elevator inspection: how often, what's checked, and how to read the certificate

How to know if your building's elevator is overdue for inspection, what inspectors check, what the inspection certificate means, and what to do if the certificate is missing or expired.

Elevator inspection

In most US states, passenger elevators are inspected at least annually, with a thorough brake-and-safety test every five years under the ASME A17.1 / CSA B44 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. The certificate is posted inside the cab or in the machine room. If your building's certificate is missing, hidden, or expired, that's a warning sign and grounds for a complaint to the state elevator safety office. Tenants never pay; building owners do.

How often inspections are required

The US baseline comes from ASME A17.1 / CSA B44, the safety code most states and Canadian provinces have adopted. Each state adopts a specific edition of the code with local amendments, so exact requirements vary:

Category 1 test: annual, checks safety devices under no-load or minimal-load conditions
Category 5 test: every five years, full-load brake and safety test with the cab loaded to rated capacity

Many states add a separate periodic inspection by a licensed state or third-party inspector (usually annual) on top of the ASME test categories. The New York City Department of Buildings, for example, requires annual periodic inspection by a licensed QEI inspector, separate from the Category 1 test, plus annual witnessed testing for some conditions. Check your state or city's rules — the specifics vary significantly.

The UK system is different. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require a thorough examination by a competent person at least every six months for passenger lifts, plus ongoing maintenance requirements. The Lifts Regulations 2016 govern the design, installation, and conformity of new lifts placed on the UK market. Ontario uses the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) to oversee inspection of elevating devices on top of manufacturer-recommended maintenance.

What inspectors actually check

A routine periodic inspection typically covers:

Cab: lighting, emergency lighting, ventilation, handrails, floor condition, alarm and intercom operation, ceiling and emergency exit hatch, capacity and inspection-certificate signs
Hoistway doors: interlocks (does the door prevent the cab from moving unless the door is closed and locked?), closing force, vision panels, fire rating
Car doors: operation, reopening sensors, closing force, safety edge
Control system: leveling accuracy, proper response to calls, floor indicators, emergency stop switch
Governor and safeties: the overspeed governor is tripped manually to verify it activates the car safeties
Brake: holds rated load without slipping; solenoid releases on command
Suspension cables: wear, broken wires, tension distribution across multiple cables
Pit: clean, free of water, buffer condition, pit light and stop switch
Machine room: access, lighting, temperature, no storage of unrelated items, proper labeling, disconnect operation

The five-year Category 5 test adds a full-load brake test and a safety test where the cab is loaded to rated capacity (or beyond) and either subjected to a controlled drop or an overspeed trip that engages the safeties. This is the test that verifies the cab won't free-fall under any realistic failure.

How to read the inspection certificate

The certificate is a plain-language document with a few fields worth knowing:

Test date — when the inspection was performed
Next test due — when the next inspection is required (often 12 months from the test date)
Inspector name and license number — the individual who performed the inspection
Elevator identifier — a unique number assigned by the state or city, useful when filing a complaint
Certificate status — active, expired, suspended, or revoked

Certificates are usually posted inside the cab (under glass near the floor indicator) or in the machine room. Some jurisdictions require display in both. In New York City, the Department of Buildings makes inspection history public through its online records system; you can search any elevator's history by device number.

Inspectors: who qualifies them

In the US, inspectors who perform third-party periodic inspections are typically certified under the ASME QEI-1 Standard for the Qualification of Elevator Inspectors. QEI certification is administered by organizations such as the NAESA International and the Qualified Elevator Inspector Training Fund (QEITF), and requires significant field experience plus a written examination. State elevator safety offices may perform their own inspections or audit third-party QEI inspectors.

What to do if the certificate is missing or expired

Ask the building first. Management should be able to produce the current certificate or show it in the machine room. If they can't, or it's expired, you have grounds for a complaint.

New York City: NYC Department of Buildings, file through NYC311 or the DOB portal
Other US states: state labor department's elevator safety unit
UK: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for LOLER compliance
Ontario: the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA)
Other Canadian provinces: the provincial technical safety authority

An expired certificate doesn't necessarily mean the elevator is dangerous, but it means the elevator hasn't had the mandatory independent check in over a year, which is exactly when problems accumulate. Buildings that let certificates lapse are often the same buildings that defer maintenance.

How this fits with public outage tracking

Inspection certificates are a snapshot: the elevator met code on the test date. Outage history is a moving picture: how often the elevator actually breaks between inspections. A building with a current certificate but frequent outages is a building where the inspection regime is catching less than the actual failure rate. Combining both — the certificate from the state and the outage record from public tracking — is the sharpest picture of an elevator's real reliability. That's what Elevator Uptime publishes.