The Elevator Inspection Section is responsible for all residential and commercial required field inspections for both new and existing installations.

This section consists of seven nationally certified (QEI - Quality Elevator Inspector) elevator inspectors to perform all related tasks in conjunction with the elevators and escalators in the jurisdiction of the City Of Cincinnati.

Our code reference is the ASME A17.1 Code book (and related codebooks) We reflect the current code of the State of Ohio.

Minimum Inspection Required

Certificate of Operation Inspections

• Routine Safety Inspection: Performed on all commercial lifting devices, including escalators. The inspections are performed at six-month intervals and are scheduled by the inspector staff.

  • During the routine inspections, violations may be found. Safety violations can be categorized into two groups -- serious and non-serious.

    • Serious Violations: problems that the inspectors determine to be hazardous to the riding public. These issues could cause loss of life or injury. Units that meet these criteria are immediately placed out of service until the violations are corrected. The unit is reinspected by the inspection personal and then placed back into service.

    • Non-serious Violations: Problems that will not affect the riding publics safety, but are issues that the ASME A17.1 Code recognizes as being in need of correction. These issues are to be corrected within 30 days and are normally performed when the unit undergoes its maintenance routine. If these issues are not corrected in a reasonable time period, the elevators may be sealed out of service until the corrections are made. (Examples of non-serious violations may include gongs/bells not working, missing Braille tactile plates, or water/debris in the elevator pit.)

• Safety Tests: Most units inspected by the Elevator Inspection Section are required to have safety tests performed at regular intervals. These tests may include the annual, three-year, or five-year (full load) safety test. The tests are performed by qualified elevator maintenance personal and records of these tests are submitted to the Elevator Inspection Section. Safety tests must be performed on a timely basis or the units may be sealed out of service until they are completed.

Elevator Permits Required

• New Elevator Installation: Commercial and residential
• Existing Elevator Modernization
• Elevator Repair: Minor repairs may not require a permit, please contact the office for assistance in determining if a permit is required.

New Elevator Installation

• Final Inspection Commercial: On a Final Elevator Inspection, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for public use. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time. All required ancillary functions must be completed and tested before final inspection. A Certificate of Operation shall be issued upon completion of the inspection.

• Final Inspection Residential: On Residential Elevator Inspections, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for residential use. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time. All work must be completed at this time. It shall be noted that this is the only inspection on residential equipment that the City of Cincinnati performs. Once turned over to the resident, a Certificate of Operation shall be issued, and it becomes the resident's responsibility to perform all maintenance to ensure that the equipment remains safe.

• Construction Use Inspection: On Construction Use Inspection, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for construction personal to use the elevator. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time. All work must be completed on the installation with the exception of fire recall and emergency communication in the elevator. The elevators must have a trained operator on the elevator at all times of operation. This operator shall have 2-way communication available in case of emergency. Construction use elevators shall be reinspected at intervals of not less than every 3-months. Before the building Certificate of Occupancy is issued, a final inspection shall be made of the elevator that includes the fire recall and emergency communication.

Existing Elevator Modernization

• Final Inspection: On a Final Elevator Inspection, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for public use. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time. All required ancillary functions must be completed and tested before final inspection.

• Construction Use Inspection: On Construction Use Inspection, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for construction personal to use the elevator. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time. All work must be completed on the installation with the exception of fire recall and emergency communication in the elevator. The elevators must have a trained operator on the elevator at all times of operation. This operator shall have two-way communication available in case of emergency. Construction use elevators shall be reinspected at intervals of not less than every 3-months. Before the building Certificate of Occupancy is issued, a final inspection shall be made of the elevator that includes the fire recall and emergency communication.

Elevator Repair

• Final Inspection: On a permit issued for repair, an inspection shall be performed before the elevator can be released for public use. The installer shall call to set up an inspection time.