An elevator inspection form is the document a qualified inspector completes to certify that a specific elevator, escalator, or moving walk meets ASME A17.1 safety requirements and any additional rules set by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), typically a state Department of Labor or a municipal Department of Buildings. As the building owner or manager, your job is to obtain the correct form from that agency, hire a credentialed inspector, supply the administrative information, and file the completed report with the required fee before your deadline. Miss any of those steps and you can face fines, loss of the operating permit, or an order shutting the elevator down.
Get the Right Form From the Right Agency
Inspection report forms are published by your local AHJ. Most agencies host fillable PDFs on their websites or require submission through an online portal. Some cities have moved to fully electronic filing; others still accept paper submissions by certified mail.
Download the current version directly from the agency’s website every cycle. Don’t reuse a form from a previous year. Fields and requirements change when the jurisdiction adopts a newer edition of the ASME code, and an outdated form can be rejected on its face.
Agencies also publish separate forms for different equipment types: electric elevators, hydraulic elevators, escalators, and moving walks each have their own report. Filing the wrong form is treated the same as filing an incomplete one, so match the form to the equipment before anything else.
Know Which Inspection Category You’re Filing
The form you file depends on which type of test was performed. ASME A17.1 sets several categories, and each one covers more ground than the last.
- Category 1 is the annual inspection. It covers the car interior, machine room, top of car, hoistway, pit, firefighters’ emergency operation, and the braking system. This is what most owners deal with every year.
- Category 3 happens every three years and reaches components not visible during routine testing, including unexposed piston sections on hydraulic elevators and pressure vessels.
- Category 5 happens every five years and is the most intensive. It includes everything in Category 1 plus full-load testing with physical weights, car and counterweight safety tests, governor tests, oil buffer tests, and driving machine brake tests. On hydraulic units it adds overspeed valve, plunger gripper, and static load tests.
Category 5 report forms are substantially longer than Category 1 forms because of the additional test results that must be documented. Your jurisdiction sets the exact schedule, but most follow the ASME intervals or something close.
Who Is Allowed to Fill It Out
The person completing the report must hold the credentials your jurisdiction requires. Most states reference the ASME QEI-1 Standard for the Qualification of Elevator Inspectors, administered through NAESA International’s QEI Certification program. The QEI exam covers A17.1, A17.2, A17.3, and the National Electrical Code, and candidates must document their education and field experience before sitting for it.1NAESA International. QEI Certification The form has fields for the inspector’s license number and the name of the employing agency. A report submitted by an unlicensed individual carries no legal weight and will be rejected.
One detail catches owners off guard: in several jurisdictions, the agency performing the periodic inspection cannot be the same company that maintains the elevator. The independence rule exists to prevent conflicts of interest. Confirm with your AHJ before hiring, and verify the inspection agency has no affiliation with your maintenance contractor.
Information You Supply as the Owner
The top of the form captures identifying data that links the inspection to a specific device in a specific building. Gather this before the inspector arrives. Missing information here is one of the most common reasons filings get kicked back.
- Device identification number. Every elevator carries a unique number assigned by the AHJ. It appears on the current inspection certificate posted inside the cab or in the building manager’s records.
- Building address, including the specific bank or floor range the unit serves if the building has multiple elevator groups.
- Legal name and current contact information for the owner or property management company.
- Inspector’s name, license or QEI certification number, and the inspection agency’s name and contact information.
- Equipment data: manufacturer, year of installation, rated speed in feet per minute, and maximum weight capacity in pounds. These let the inspector verify the elevator is operating within its original design parameters.
Add the inspection date and the category of test performed. Double-check that the device ID matches the unit actually inspected. Transposed digits here are a routine cause of rejected filings.
What the Inspector Completes
The bulk of the form is a series of pass/fail checklists organized by physical location. Every checkbox has to be marked. A blank field signals an incomplete inspection and will trigger a rejection or an audit.
The inspector works through the interior of the car (operating panel, emergency stop, door operation, lighting, communication system), the machine room (motor, controller, governor, brake, workspace standards), the top of the car (car-top device, rope condition, guide shoes, interlocks), and the hoistway and pit (rails, counterweight, landing doors, stop switch, buffer, drainage). On Category 5 inspections, the governor and car safety tests are performed with full rated-load weights physically placed in the car, and the slide distance scratched into the rail face is measured against code tables.
Every report also includes a section on firefighters’ emergency operation, tested in two phases, and a section on the emergency two-way communication system. The inspector will also ask to see your Maintenance Control Program (MCP) log. The MCP contains scheduled maintenance tasks, procedures, completed work records, callback records, and monthly fire service testing logs. These records must be maintained for a minimum of five years and made available to the inspector on request.2ASME. Guide for Inspection of Elevators Escalators and Moving Walks
Your role during this part is to provide access. The inspector needs to reach the machine room, pit, and car top, and needs the MCP records on hand. If any of that is missing, the inspection stalls.
Filing the Completed Form
Once the form is complete, submit it through whatever channel your jurisdiction requires. Most agencies now use an online portal; some still accept certified mail. Filing fees vary. Expect a per-device fee that covers the operating permit or certificate of operation, and pay at the time of submission because most agencies will not process the report until payment clears.
Deadlines are strict. Late filings risk fines that escalate quickly, and in some jurisdictions a missed deadline leads directly to an order shutting the elevator down until compliance is restored. Treat the filing date as fixed and work backward from it when scheduling the inspection.
After You File
If the report shows no deficiencies, the agency issues an updated certificate of operation or inspection permit. Post it conspicuously inside the elevator cab, or keep it available on the premises for non-passenger equipment. The certificate authorizes the unit to operate until the next required inspection.
If the inspector found deficiencies, the next steps depend on severity. Hazardous conditions, meaning anything posing immediate danger to passengers, must be corrected before the elevator returns to service. Non-hazardous deficiencies come with a correction window. The exact timeframe depends on your jurisdiction, but 30 to 45 business days from the date the report is filed is common for routine defects. After corrections, file a written affirmation of correction with the agency within the deadline on the deficiency notice.
Missing the correction deadline triggers escalation. The agency will issue a formal order to correct or show cause why an extension should be granted. If that second deadline also passes, the agency can issue an order prohibiting use of the elevator until all deficiencies are resolved and reinspection fees are paid. Deficiency notices deserve the same urgency as the original inspection deadline.
Keep Copies for at Least Five Years
Keep every filed inspection report, certificate of operation, deficiency notice, and affirmation of correction for at least five years. Most jurisdictions require this retention period by regulation. Insurance carriers want to see continuous compliance documentation during audits and when processing claims, and property sales and refinancing transactions routinely require proof that all vertical transportation equipment is current. Store records both on-site, in or near the machine room, and in a backed-up digital format so they are accessible to inspectors, maintenance contractors, and authorized personnel at any time.