The NFPA 13 Contractor’s Material and Test Certificate is the document a fire sprinkler contractor completes to certify that a newly installed system was built to the approved plans, tested under pressure, and is ready for service. The installing contractor fills it out, the property owner or their representative witnesses the tests and co-signs, and the finished paperwork goes to the local authority having jurisdiction before a certificate of occupancy is issued. Getting it right the first time matters: an incomplete or inaccurate certificate can stall a building project for weeks.
Pick the Right Certificate First
NFPA 13 uses two separate certificates because piping inside a building and supply lines buried outside face different stresses and different test procedures. The Contractor’s Material and Test Certificate for Aboveground Piping covers the riser inside the building and everything downstream: branch lines, sprinkler heads, valves, and alarm devices. The Contractor’s Material and Test Certificate for Underground Piping covers the private fire service main from the public water supply connection to the building’s riser.
If your project includes a new underground supply main and a new interior sprinkler network, you complete both. A tenant improvement that ties into an existing underground main but installs new aboveground piping only needs the aboveground certificate. The underground certificate is governed primarily by NFPA 24, but NFPA 13 folds it into the same acceptance process and publishes a sample form alongside the aboveground version.
Where to Get the Form and Which Edition to Use
NFPA publishes electronic versions of both certificates that you can fill out, save, and print from the NFPA website as a paid eForms product.1National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 13, Standard eForms You can also view the full text of NFPA 13, including the sample certificates, through NFPA’s free read-only access portal, though the free version cannot be downloaded or printed.2National Fire Protection Association. Free Access NFPA Codes and Standards Many local fire marshal offices and building departments post downloadable copies on their own websites, sometimes pre-populated with the jurisdiction’s name and submission address.
The current edition is NFPA 13, 2025.3National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 13 Standard Development Your local authority may still enforce an earlier adopted edition, often 2019 or 2022. Confirm which edition your jurisdiction has adopted before you fill anything out. Using the wrong edition’s form is an easy rejection trigger.
What the Aboveground Certificate Asks For
The aboveground certificate is the longer of the two. It collects four broad categories of information: project identification, system components, test results, and certifications.
Project and Contractor Identification
The top of the form captures the property name, street address, date, and the name and address of the approving authority. You confirm whether the installation conforms to the accepted plans and whether all equipment used is listed or approved. If the installation deviates from the approved plans in any way, the form requires a written explanation. Small errors here cause most delays. A mismatched address or an unanswered yes/no field will send the form back.
Owner Training Confirmation
A section near the top of the form asks whether the person in charge of fire equipment on-site has been instructed on the location of control valves and the care and maintenance of the new system. It also asks whether copies of the system component instructions, care and maintenance instructions, and NFPA 25 have been left on the premises. Answering “no” to any of these without an explanation can flag the submission.
System Components
The form asks for a detailed inventory of the hardware installed:
- Sprinkler heads: manufacturer, model, year of manufacture, orifice size, quantity installed, and temperature rating.
- Pipe and fittings: type of pipe (for example, Schedule 40 steel, Schedule 10, CPVC) and type of fittings (threaded, grooved, solvent-cemented).
- Alarm devices: type, make, and model of the alarm valve or flow indicator, plus the maximum time for the alarm to operate through the test connection.
- Dry valves, if applicable: make, model, serial number, trip point air pressure, and the time from trip to water reaching the test outlet.
- Deluge and preaction valves, if applicable: operation type (pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic), whether piping and detection media are supervised, and whether the valve operates from manual trip and remote control stations.
Every sprinkler entry should match what is physically in the ceiling, not what appeared on the submittal. Manufacturers sometimes substitute during backorders, and the certificate must reflect the model actually installed.
Recording the Test Data
The hydrostatic pressure test is the centerpiece of the certificate. NFPA 13 requires all new aboveground piping to be tested at 200 psi for two hours with no loss in pressure at the reference gauge and no visible leaks. Where the system working pressure exceeds 150 psi, the test pressure is the working pressure plus 50 psi.3National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 13 Standard Development On dry-pipe systems, the differential dry-pipe valve clapper must be left open during the hydrostatic test to prevent damage to the valve.
You record whether all piping was hydrostatically tested at 200 psi for two hours and whether the equipment operates properly. If any leaks were found, document where they occurred and confirm they were repaired and retested. The form also includes a certification that no corrosive chemicals, sodium silicate, brine, or similar substances were used during testing or to stop leaks.
Dry-pipe and preaction systems also require a pneumatic test at 40 psi of air pressure held for 24 hours, with a maximum allowable pressure drop of 1.5 psi. The certificate has a separate yes/no field confirming this test was performed.
Drain Test
The certificate includes a drain test section where you record the gauge reading near the water supply during the main drain flow test. This verifies that the water supply control valve is fully open and the supply path is not obstructed. Record the static pressure, the residual pressure with the drain flowing, and the pipe size of the drain connection.
Underground Flushing and Test Data
The underground certificate focuses heavily on the flushing operation, which clears construction debris, dirt, and other material from the buried mains before they connect to the aboveground system. NFPA 13 and NFPA 24 both require flushing at a flow rate that produces a minimum water velocity of 10 feet per second in the pipe. You record the diameter of the flushing outlet and the flow rate in gallons per minute, typically measured with a pitot gauge at the discharge.
If the available water supply cannot produce 10 feet per second, the flush fails. You then need to coordinate with the water utility or use alternative flushing methods, such as sectional flushing, to meet the velocity requirement. This is a common field problem in areas with low-pressure municipal water systems, and it must be resolved before the underground certificate can be signed.
The underground certificate also records hydrostatic test results for the buried piping using the same 200 psi and two-hour standard, along with leakage allowances that account for the type of joint used. Mechanical joints have a higher permissible leakage rate than flanged connections.
Modifications to Existing Systems
When you modify an existing sprinkler system rather than install a new one, the testing requirements change with the scope of work. NFPA 13 draws the line at 20 sprinkler heads.4National Fire Protection Association. Modifications to Existing Sprinkler Systems
- If 20 or fewer sprinklers are affected, the modified portion only needs to be tested at the system’s normal working pressure, not the full 200 psi.
- If more than 20 sprinklers are affected, the modified portion must be isolated and tested at 200 psi for two hours, just like a new installation.
In either case, complete a material and test certificate for the modified work and note the scope clearly, so the reviewing authority can confirm the correct test protocol was applied.
Antifreeze Systems
Systems that use antifreeze solutions need extra documentation. Record the type of antifreeze (glycerin or propylene glycol), the manufacturer, and the concentration by volume. Concentration limits cap glycerin at 38 percent and propylene glycol at 30 percent. Only factory-premixed solutions are allowed; site-mixing of concentrate is prohibited. If an existing antifreeze system is being modified and the solution cannot be identified, drain the old solution and replace it with new premixed product before signing.
CPVC piping adds another restriction: only glycerin-based antifreeze is permitted. Propylene glycol in CPVC piping is a code violation that would invalidate the certificate. A sign identifying the antifreeze manufacturer, type, brand, concentration, and system volume must be posted at the riser, and confirming that sign is in place is part of the acceptance process.
Signatures and Witnessing the Tests
Both the contractor and a representative of the property owner must sign the completed certificate. The owner’s representative witnesses the hydrostatic test, flushing, and alarm device tests in person and co-signs to confirm the recorded results are accurate. The contractor attests to the quality of the installation; the owner attests to having observed the proof.
Some jurisdictions also require the authority having jurisdiction to sign or stamp the certificate as a third-party acceptance. Even where that is not required, having the local fire inspector present during testing prevents a common frustration: passing all tests with only the owner watching, then having the inspector call for a retest because they were not there. Coordinate schedules early.
Submitting to the Authority Having Jurisdiction
The completed, signed certificates go to the authority having jurisdiction, typically the local fire marshal’s office or the building department’s fire prevention bureau. Submission methods vary. Some jurisdictions accept only paper copies delivered in person, others use digital permitting portals, and some require both. Check with your AHJ before test day so you know the expected format and number of copies.
The AHJ reviews the certificate to confirm that all fields are completed, the test results meet NFPA 13 thresholds, and the installed components match the approved plans. Incomplete forms are the most common reason for rejection, especially missing signatures, blank equipment fields, or unanswered yes/no questions. Some jurisdictions tie certificate review to an inspection or plan review fee, with costs varying by locality.
Timing matters. Some states require the contractor to deliver the completed certificates within a set number of days after testing. Regardless of local deadlines, the certificate must generally be approved before the building department will issue a certificate of occupancy. Experienced contractors fill out as much of the form as possible before test day and complete the test data fields on-site immediately after the tests.
Keeping the Certificate After Approval
Once the AHJ approves the certificates, provide a full signed copy to the property owner. Under NFPA 25, acceptance test records must be kept for the life of the system, not a fixed number of years, but as long as the sprinkler system remains in service.5National Fire Sprinkler Association. The Basics of NFPA 25 Record Keeping Losing the original can complicate future system modifications, property sales, or insurance audits. Store it with other permanent building records, not in a job-site trailer that will be hauled away after construction. When the system is later inspected under NFPA 25 on its ongoing maintenance schedule, inspectors reference the original acceptance certificate to confirm what was installed and what benchmarks the system initially met.