California State Elevator Inspection Checklist: Fees and Red Tags

A California elevator inspection checklist covers seven areas the state’s certified inspector will physically test and one stack of paperwork you need waiting on the desk: hoistway and car doors with their interlocks and restrictors, the in-car emergency alarm or phone, accessibility signage and controls, the machine room, the pit and its stop switch, leveling accuracy, and the safety circuit that ties everything together. The inspection is run by a Qualified Elevator Inspector working under the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), and the device cannot legally carry passengers or freight without the resulting Permit to Operate.¹

Single-family home elevators sit outside all of this. California Labor Code Section 7317 excludes them from the Elevator Safety Orders, so the checklist below applies to commercial, multifamily residential, and public-building conveyances.¹

What the Inspector Physically Checks

The annual periodic inspection is performed by a Qualified Elevator Inspector (QEI) certified by Cal/OSHA.² The QEI works methodically through the conveyance, and knowing the sequence tells you where problems tend to surface.

Hoistway and Car Doors

Doors get the closest look. Every passenger elevator hoistway door must have an approved interlock that physically prevents the car from moving until the door is locked closed. Freight elevators need the same interlock on both doors and gates.³

Passenger elevators installed after January 1, 1989 also need door restrictors. Those restrictors prevent hoistway or car doors from opening more than four inches when the car sits outside the unlocking zone, and that zone extends no more than 18 inches above or below the landing. The inspector tests both the interlock and the restrictor, because a door that can be pried open between floors is one of the most dangerous failure modes an elevator has.³

Emergency Alarm and Communication

Every passenger elevator and automatic-operation freight elevator must have an emergency alarm system operable from inside the car. California allows one of two configurations. The first is a telephone in each car connected to a 24-hour central exchange. The second is an audible alarm bell at least six inches in diameter mounted inside the building, combined with a means for two-way conversation between the car and a readily accessible point outside the hoistway.⁴

The QEI tests whichever system is installed. Emergency lighting inside the car is also checked, and if the alarm or communication system runs on building power, it must have a battery or manual backup.⁵

Accessibility Signage and Controls

Under federal ADA standards, tactile signs with raised characters and Grade 2 braille are required for floor level designations, car controls, and emergency communication devices.⁶ California’s building code adds more: white raised characters on a black background at both jambs of every hoistway entrance, a raised star at the main entry level with the braille translation “MAIN” below it, and characters two inches high, permanently fixed. The inspector also checks car operating panels for tactile markings and reach ranges that accommodate wheelchair users.

Machine Room

The machine room houses the motor, governor, controller, and hoisting equipment. The inspector confirms the room is accessible only through a locked door, that permanent lighting is adequate, and that no stored materials block equipment access or create a fire hazard. The QEI then examines the governor’s operation, checks hoisting ropes or cables for visible wear and proper tension, verifies lubrication of moving parts, and looks at controller wiring, contactors, and relays for damage or overheating.

Pit

The pit sits at the bottom of the hoistway, and its condition reflects the whole system’s upkeep. The inspector confirms the pit stop switch is present, functional, and of the manually opened and closed type, with a red handle or button permanently marked “STOP.” When opened, it must cut power to the driving machine motor and apply the brake, independently of the car’s normal controls.⁷ Pit lighting must work, and the space must be dry and clear of debris and standing water.

Safety Circuit and Leveling

The QEI verifies the full safety circuit, which strings every safety device in series so that any single trip (a door interlock, a governor, a pit stop switch) cuts power and stops the car. Leveling accuracy is tested at multiple floors to confirm the car stops flush with the landing within tolerance. Poor leveling is a tripping hazard, especially for older passengers and wheelchair users, and it draws close attention.

Documentation to Have Ready

An inspector who cannot review the required paperwork has grounds to issue a citation on the spot. Have these records available:

The current Permit to Operate. For passenger, freight, and incline elevators it must be posted conspicuously inside the car; for escalators, dumbwaiters, and similar devices it must be available on the premises.⁸
Maintenance records and logs covering all service dates, repairs, adjustments, and parts replacements. Keep these for at least five years.
Previous inspection reports, including any Preliminary Orders and documentation showing the cited deficiencies were corrected.
Monthly Phase I and Phase II Firefighters’ Emergency Operation test logs, completed by a Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic (CCCM).⁹
A written Maintenance Control Program (MCP) describing what maintenance is performed, how, and how often. It must follow the manufacturer’s specifications and ASME A17.1/CSA B44 standards, and must cover all major equipment areas for the conveyance type.
Proof that the CCCM who performed required tests holds valid credentials.

A maintenance contract by itself does not satisfy the recordkeeping requirement. The contract has to spell out the elevator service company’s responsibility for all repairs and maintenance necessary to keep the device compliant with the Elevator Safety Orders, and the company must hold a C-11 license from the California Contractors’ State License Board.⁸

Monthly Fire Service Testing

Separate from the annual inspection, California requires monthly testing of the Firefighters’ Emergency Operation system: Phase I (automatic recall to the designated landing when smoke is detected) and Phase II (manual firefighter control from inside the car). The work must be done by a Certified Competent Conveyance Mechanic employed by a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company.⁹

The log records each month’s date, the mechanic’s name, and the results. It’s among the first documents the annual inspector asks to see, and gaps in the record are a citation that catches building managers off guard.

The Five-Year Full Load Test

Every five years a more intensive test is required. For hydraulic elevators, California Code of Regulations Section 3071 sets the procedure: the car is loaded to full rated capacity and run in both directions. Upward speed with a full load must not exceed 110 percent of the rated speed shown on the crosshead data plate, and downward speed must stay within 125 percent of rated speed.¹⁰

The pressure relief valve is tested, and the car must not drift or creep when stopped with a full load and the power disconnected for 15 minutes. Any unexplained movement during that hold signals a hydraulic problem that has to be investigated before the elevator returns to service.¹⁰

Traction (cabled) elevators run a different five-year procedure, sometimes called a Category 5 test, focused on the car safeties, governor, and buffers under full rated load at rated speed. A licensed elevator contractor performs the work and a DOSH-authorized representative witnesses the entire procedure. The conveyance is out of service for several hours.

Inspection Fees

DOSH charges per-unit fees for periodic inspections based on conveyance type and size:¹¹

Hydraulic elevator, up to three stories: $225 per unit
Cabled elevator, up to three stories: $225 per unit
Cabled elevator, 4–10 stories: $350 per unit
Cabled elevator, 11–20 stories: $450 per unit
Cabled elevator, 21+ stories: $550 per unit
Escalators and moving walks: $675 per unit
Wheelchair lifts and stairway chair lifts: $125 per unit
Witnessing periodic tests: $225 per hour

Invoices unpaid after 60 days trigger a penalty equal to 100 percent of the original fee, effectively doubling the bill. Continued non-payment can also produce an Order Prohibiting Use, shutting the conveyance down entirely.¹²

The Permit to Operate and Renewal

No conveyance can legally run in California without a valid Permit to Operate.⁸ The permit generally lasts one year. DOSH can extend it to two years when the conveyance is in safe condition and covered for the entire term by a full maintenance contract with a C-11 licensed elevator service company.¹³ Renewal hinges on passing the periodic inspection. If the device fails or deficiencies stay uncorrected, the permit will not renew and the conveyance cannot legally operate.

If You Fail: Preliminary Orders and Red Tags

When deficiencies are found, the building owner receives a Preliminary Order listing each code violation and requiring correction within a set timeframe. If DOSH does not receive written verification from a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company that the violations have been corrected within that window, the next step is an Order to Correct Unsafe Conditions or Show Cause, which gives additional time to prove compliance or explain why an extension is needed.¹⁴

Treat the Preliminary Order as urgent. The correction work must be performed by a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company, and documentation of the completed corrections must be submitted to the DOSH district office. Letting the deadline pass is the single most common path to a shutdown order.

An Order Prohibiting Use, known in the industry as a red tag, takes the conveyance out of service immediately. DOSH issues one for three reasons:¹⁴

An imminent hazard: a code violation dangerous enough that continued operation risks injury or death. The device is secured on the spot.
Failure to correct a Preliminary Order within the required timeframe.
Unpaid fees or penalties that remain outstanding after the 60-day deadline.

Once a red tag is posted, the elevator cannot legally carry anyone until the violation is fully corrected by a Certified Qualified Conveyance Company and DOSH re-inspects and clears the device. In a building with only one elevator, tenants lose access entirely until the issue is resolved. If you receive a red tag, contact your DOSH district office with the state ID number for the device and the building address to start the re-inspection process.¹⁴

1
California Department of Industrial Relations. Cal/OSHA Elevator Unit
2
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3003 – Qualifications for Certified Inspectors
3
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3021 – Hoistway Door and Gate-Locking Devices
4
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3041 – Emergency and Signal Devices
5
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3085.22 – Emergency Signal and/or Communication
6
U.S. Access Board. Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards – Chapter 7: Signs
7
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3040 – Operating Devices and Control Equipment
8
California Department of Industrial Relations. Elevator Permits
9
California Department of Industrial Relations. Monthly Fire Testing Log
10
California Department of Industrial Relations. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3071 – Operation, Operating Devices and Control Equipment
11
California Department of Industrial Relations. Elevator Inspection Fee Schedule
12
California Department of Industrial Relations. Cal/OSHA Elevator Payments and Fees
13
Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 8 3001 – Permit to Operate
14
California Department of Industrial Relations. Elevator Unit – Index of Frequently Asked Questions