NYC Form FP-85 is the one-page fire sprinkler inspection report that a Certificate of Fitness holder fills out on site each month, signs, and leaves with the building owner for the FDNY to review on demand. The form is published by the NYC Department of Buildings, it is not submitted to any agency after the inspection, and every field on it — especially the inspector’s credentials at the bottom — has to be complete, or the building effectively has no inspection on record for that month.
Who Can Sign the Form
NYC Fire Code Section 901.6.3 requires that a person with the appropriate Certificate of Fitness personally supervise sprinkler inspection, testing, and maintenance. For most buildings, that is a technician holding an S-12 Certificate of Fitness for Citywide Sprinkler Systems issued by the FDNY.1NYC Business. Certificate of Fitness for Citywide Sprinkler Systems (S-12) Buildings with foam-water sprinkler systems need an inspector holding the S-15 instead.2NYC.gov. Certificate of Fitness S-15 – Water Sprinkler System
For sprinkler systems in converted dwellings, single-room-occupancy buildings, and other Group R-2 residential occupancies, the Code opens the pool a bit. A licensed master fire suppression piping contractor holding a Department of Buildings license can sign the inspection. For small systems with 30 or fewer sprinkler heads, a licensed master plumber qualifies too.3ICC Digital Codes. NYC Fire Code Chapter 9 – Fire Protection Systems
Whoever signs, three fields are non-negotiable: the inspector’s printed name, their signature, and their Certificate of Fitness number with expiration date. Leave any of those blank and the form is invalid.4NYC Buildings. NYC Fire Sprinkler Inspection Form FP-85
The S-12 expires every three years. The FDNY sends a renewal notice 90 days before the expiration date, and the renewal fee is $15. If the holder lets it lapse past 90 days but within a year, a $25 late penalty is added. Past a year, the certificate is dead and the holder has to start over with a new application and exam.1NYC Business. Certificate of Fitness for Citywide Sprinkler Systems (S-12) The FDNY may also require re-examination at renewal, particularly when the Fire Code has been updated since the holder last tested.
Where to Get the Form
Form FP-85 lives on the NYC Department of Buildings website, not the FDNY site. Download it as a PDF from the Buildings Department’s Plumbing Forms page and print copies before each inspection so the inspector can fill one out in person.5NYC.gov. Plumbing Forms – Buildings The current revision on the form is dated June 2003; nothing newer has replaced it.
FP-85 is a premises-retained record, so there is no online portal for uploading it. The FDNY Business portal handles separate services like requesting or canceling inspections and scheduling system tests, but it does not accept FP-85 filings.6FDNY. FDNY Business
How to Fill It Out
FP-85 is one page, and it moves from building identification at the top to inspector sign-off at the bottom.
Building and System Type
The top of the form takes the building address and the system type, with two options: wet or dry.4NYC Buildings. NYC Fire Sprinkler Inspection Form FP-85 Wet systems hold water in the pipes continuously, so the inspector looks for corrosion, leaks, and obstructed heads. Dry systems hold pressurized air or nitrogen until a head activates, so the air compressor, trip valve, and low-pressure alarms get the closer look.
Water Supply Readings
A large portion of the form captures water supply condition. The inspector records pressure readings in pounds per square inch, gravity tank capacity, pressure tank capacity, and the size of the city water connection.4NYC Buildings. NYC Fire Sprinkler Inspection Form FP-85 These readings get compared against the system’s original acceptance test and previous inspections. A drop of ten percent or more in full-flow results requires investigation to find the cause, often a partially closed valve or a pipe obstruction.
Valves, Heads, and Connections
The form asks the inspector to confirm that control valves are sealed in the open position. The Fire Code requires these valves to be secured with either an approved wire-and-seal or a lock-and-chain arrangement.7UpCodes. New York City RCNY Title 3 – Fire Department An unsealed valve is one of the fastest ways to fail an inspection.
The inspector then documents the condition of the sprinkler heads (noting any that are painted over or corroded), whether exposed piping is weatherproofed, the condition and number of Siamese (fire department) connections, the type of drip valves, and whether FDC caps are painted green per FDNY convention.4NYC Buildings. NYC Fire Sprinkler Inspection Form FP-85 A painted-over sprinkler head cannot activate properly and has to be replaced; it is among the most common deficiencies inspectors flag.
Signature and Credentials
At the bottom, the inspector prints their name, signs the form, and enters the Certificate of Fitness number and expiration date, certifying that everything on the form accurately reflects the system’s condition. Skipping these fields voids the document.
How Often You Need One
NYC Fire Code Section 903.5 requires sprinkler systems to be inspected at least once a month, and each inspection has to confirm that all parts of the system are in working order and that the fire department connections are ready for immediate use.3ICC Digital Codes. NYC Fire Code Chapter 9 – Fire Protection Systems The monthly walk-through is what FP-85 documents.
Water-based fire protection systems also need maintenance under NFPA 25, which layers quarterly, annual, and five-year testing on top of the monthly inspection.8New York City Fire Department. NYC Fire Code Chapter 9 – Fire Protection Systems Those additional tests use their own paperwork; FP-85 itself is the monthly record.
Where to Keep the Form and for How Long
FP-85 is not submitted to the city after each inspection. The building owner keeps completed forms on the premises, available for immediate review whenever a fire department representative shows up. Fire Code Section 901.6.2.1 adds a specific posting requirement for sprinkler systems: an approved card showing the dates of each inspection, the Certificate of Fitness number, and the inspector’s signature has to be posted near the main water supply control valve.8New York City Fire Department. NYC Fire Code Chapter 9 – Fire Protection Systems
For residential buildings covered under Fire Code Sections 903.5.1 and 903.5.2 (converted dwellings, single-room occupancies, and other Group R-2 occupancies), test reports on the approved form have to be kept for at least five years and made available for inspection by any department representative.3ICC Digital Codes. NYC Fire Code Chapter 9 – Fire Protection Systems Owners of those buildings also have to maintain a listing of all outstanding sprinkler-related violations and make both the records and the list accessible to building occupants during regular business hours.
For other occupancy types, the Fire Code directs that inspection records be maintained in accordance with FC 107.7 without setting a shorter retention floor. Keeping at least five years of FP-85 forms across every building type matches the residential standard and gives the FDNY enough history to spot recurring problems.
If the Inspection Finds a Problem
When the inspector marks a component unsatisfactory, the comments area should describe the specific defect. A minor issue like a single corroded head or a missing FDC cap gets noted on the form and scheduled for repair. A deficiency that takes the sprinkler system out of service triggers the impairment protocol under the Fire Code, where the building owner is the default impairment coordinator unless someone else is formally designated, and the choice becomes evacuating the affected area or establishing a fire watch.9UpCodes. Out-of-Service Systems
For the first four hours of a watch, a trained building employee can serve. After four hours, only someone holding an F-01 Certificate of Fitness for Citywide Fire Guard for Impairment may continue it.10NYC.gov. Certificate of Fitness for Citywide Fire Guard For Impairment (F-01) The fire watch record has to stay on the premises during the watch and for at least 48 hours after it ends.
What Non-Compliance Costs
FDNY violations for fire protection system deficiencies fall under Violation Category 12. The schedule is tiered:
- First violation: $950 standard penalty, $475 if the owner corrects the condition before the hearing, and $1,000 for a default.
- Second or subsequent violation within 18 months: $2,375 standard, $1,200 if corrected before the hearing, and up to $5,000 as a maximum.
Those are the FDNY summons penalties alone. If a sprinkler deficiency is classified as immediately hazardous under the NYC Administrative Code, the Department of Buildings can add a separate civil penalty of $1,000 to $25,000, plus up to $1,000 for each additional day the violation remains uncorrected.12NYC Administrative Code. Article 202 – Civil Penalties Each day counts as a separate offense, so a two-week delay on a hazardous violation can generate a five-figure bill before the owner reaches a hearing.
Fill out an FP-85 completely every month, post the inspection card near the main valve, and keep at least five years of forms on hand. When an inspector walks in unannounced, a clean stack of completed forms is the fastest way to end the visit without a summons.