It’s the building owner’s or property manager’s responsibility to choose their own third-party inspection company. You want to ensure that your service provider is performing their inspections at the highest level. While it is not uncommon for your elevator provider to recommend the services of a third party witnessing company, at the end it is your choice on whom the third party inspector will be.

According to Florida Statute 399, inspections are required every twelve (12) months. Owners with inspections passed due may be subjected to administrative fines.

There are 2 possible reasons for this (A) there are outstanding violations that needs to be corrected. You will have to schedule a “call-back” inspection to have the inspector clear those items. (B) The renewal application and/or fees have not been received by the State, county or city.

Re-actions depend on the type of inspection conducted.
1. For reports where no violations are identified action by the owner/others may not be required.
2. For industry oversight inspections: if violations are noted, a copy should be forwarded to your maintenance provider and your elevator inspection company for assessment and/or correction.
3. For Accident/Compliant inspections: if violations are noted, a copy should be forwarded to the service maintenance provider. We recommend discontinuing operation of equipment until compliance is verified.

The orange sticker is an indication that the database maintained by the State of Florida currently shows that you are not in compliance with Statutory requirements for Certificate of Operation. Usually this means having satisfactorily (no violations or corrected violations) completed an annual inspection and/or remittal of annual fees to the Jurisdictional Authority (State/County/City) for renewal.

When one or more violations are noted, the elevator inspection report form becomes an “Order to Correct” and the building owner is subject to fines and/or penalties for failure to comply within the time frame indicated (90 days).

A variance is the Enforcing Authority accepting an alternative to the specific requirements of Code due to a hardship with meeting the actual code requirements. The hardship can be due to existing conditions, financial feasibility, or newer alternatives. Requests for Variances to code shall meet the requirements of ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators Section 1.2.

Not necessarily, some items not covered by your agreement with the elevator maintenance firm will be the responsibility of the building owner or others. Check your maintenance contract or contact your maintenance provider.

Elevator inspection results can be viewed on the bureau’s website. Inspection reports for elevators located in one of our five contracted jurisdictions are maintained by those jurisdictions. You should contact the appropriate contracted jurisdiction about those elevator inspections. https://myfloridalicense.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/83/related/1

Three types of inspections qualify for a certificate of operation license – Routine, Callback to a Routine, and Initial Acceptance. One of these three types of inspections must be marked on the inspection report and have cited no violations to qualify for a certificate of operation license.

Newly installed elevators must have an Initial Acceptance inspection.  An existing elevator must have a routine inspection with no violations or a routine inspection and a callback inspection clearing all violations cited on the routine inspection.  Both routine and callback inspections must have been completed within the last 12 months.  

The owner is responsible for ensuring the required inspections are conducted. For existing elevators, the elevator owner is the person issued a certificate of operation. The responsibilities of the elevator owner, including ensuring inspections are completed, may be assigned by lease. The elevator owner may allow the contracted elevator company to coordinate the inspection, but the owner is still responsible for ensuring the inspection is performed and violations are corrected.

For new elevator installations or modifications, the permit holder is legally responsible for the elevator, including all inspections and tests, until a certificate of operation is issued by the department. The permit holder is responsible for ensuring inspections are conducted by a licensed inspector not associated with the permit holder.

Florida Statutes do not require a certificate of competency holder be present for an elevator inspection.  However, it is advisable to have a certified elevator technician to assist in the operation of the elevator during the inspection and to perform any required safety tests that the certified elevator inspector must witness.

Yes. In Florida http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/

Inform the elevator maintenance firm to perform required safety tests for the elevator inspector to witness, and that coordination with the inspection firm is required. Keys for access to the elevator machine room and other spaces are required to be readily available onsite. Some logs and documentation are required to be onsite and available for the inspector:
1. Monthly Firefighter’s Operation log (unless performed by elevator maintenance firm)
2. Written elevator emergency evacuation procedures
3. Log of building personnel trained to assist Emergency Personnel in event of an elevator emergency.
4. Log of building personnel trained to follow escalator startup procedures.
Check to see that the:
Key for the elevator machine room is available on site
No storage in machine room (elevator components only)
Telephone in elevator operational
Alarm bell in elevator operational
Light bulbs in elevator car have guarding to retain glass in event of breakage
There is no water in the elevator pit
 Machine room fire extinguisher up-to-date
Machine room door self-closing & self-locking
Fire alarm test up-to-date