Home / Services / Elevator and Escalator Services / Elevator Maintenance

Elevator and Escalator Services

Elevator maintenance for stores, offices and multi-site portfolios

Elevator maintenance is regulated work: it follows a written maintenance control program, is performed by licensed mechanics where the jurisdiction requires it, and leaves records an inspector will ask to see. Facility First manages elevator maintenance through vetted local elevator contractors and keeps the record for every unit in one place.

Request a Proposal Submit a Service Request

What elevator maintenance involves

Elevator maintenance is the scheduled cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, examination and testing of each unit, plus the repairs and replacements found along the way. The work depends on the equipment:

Traction elevators, moved by hoist ropes over a sheave, with or without a machine room
Hydraulic elevators, pushed by a jack and fluid, where oil level, leaks and the cylinder need attention
Escalators and moving walks in multi-level stores and centers
Platform lifts that give wheelchair access to a raised floor or mezzanine

The core of the work is the maintenance control program, often called the MCP. Colorado’s owner checklist, built on ASME A17.1, describes what a compliant MCP contains: a list of maintenance tasks and the intervals they are performed at, the code required examinations and tests, scheduled intervals based on the type of equipment, and written procedures for testing, inspection, maintenance, replacements and adjustments.

Inspections are a separate job, carried out by a licensed inspector for the authority having jurisdiction. They are covered on the elevator inspection page.

Codes, standards and requirements for elevator maintenance

Elevator law is set state by state, and in some places city by city. The examples below come from two state programs and show the kind of rules that apply. The authority having jurisdiction for each location decides the code edition and the cycle.

ASME A17.1, Section 8.6. Kansas requires all maintenance, repair and replacement to comply with ASME A17.1, Section 8.6, and platform lift work to comply with ASME A18.1. The Kansas State Fire Marshal lists implementation of ASME A17.1 (2022) as of July 1, 2024. Colorado’s owner checklist checks the MCP against ASME A17.1 as adopted by the state.
Code edition. In Kansas, each elevator conforms to the code adopted when it was installed, and an alteration to more than 49 percent of an elevator brings it up to the newer code. Colorado’s rules reference ASME A17.3, the code for existing elevators, and set conditions for exemption from it.
Safety tests. Under Colorado’s test table, traction and hydraulic elevators get a Category 1 test every year and a Category 5 test every 5 years, both witnessed by an inspector every 5 years. A hydraulic elevator needs the Category 5 test only if it has car safeties, a plunger gripper, a governor, an oil buffer or an overspeed valve. Escalators get a Category 1 test every year, witnessed every year. Kansas requires Category 5 testing at five-year intervals on all elevators, citing ASME A17.1, Appendix N, Table N-1-1.
Inspection cycle. Colorado requires an annual periodic inspection by a licensed inspector. Kansas sets the cycle by county population: every year for 100,000 or more, every 2 years for 50,000 to 99,999 and every 3 years below 50,000, and exempts owners with an accepted service or maintenance agreement from the annual inspection, while still requiring Category 5 testing.
Licensed work. Kansas licenses elevator contractors, mechanics and inspectors and sets minimum insurance for contractors. Colorado requires current state licenses for contractors, mechanics and inspectors.
Certificate of operation. Kansas does not allow an elevator to run without a certificate of operation, displayed in the car or machine room. Colorado will not issue one while earlier deficiencies remain open.
Deficiencies. Kansas gives the owner 30 days to correct inspection violations and allows the owner to apply in writing for a 30-day extension.
Single bottom hydraulic jacks. Kansas lists replacement with a double bottom jack or a car safety device as compliance options, with a plunger gripper as a temporary measure, and notes the cleanup cost of hydraulic oil leaks.
Accidents. Colorado requires an accident needing medical attention to be reported within 24 hours. Kansas requires a report by the close of the next business day.

Preventive maintenance schedule for elevators

An elevator that fails its inspection or is shut down after an incident closes access to upper floors, stockrooms and accessible routes. Planned work reduces callbacks and entrapments, extends the life of controllers, door equipment and hydraulic systems, and produces the logs inspectors ask for.

Task	Recommended frequency	Basis
Scheduled maintenance visit (cleaning, lubrication, adjustment) per the unit’s MCP	As the MCP sets for the equipment type; Facility First default monthly	Colorado MCP Checklist (ASME A17.1); interval: Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Check firefighters’ emergency operation and record it in a log	Monthly	Colorado MCP Checklist
Verify the emergency two-way communication device and record it in a log	Quarterly	Colorado MCP Checklist
Verify and record hydraulic oil level	At each scheduled visit	Written record: Colorado MCP Checklist. Interval: Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Category 1 safety test, traction and hydraulic elevators and escalators	Annually	Colorado Conveyance Program Requirements, Table 2-3-2
Category 5 safety test, elevators	Every 5 years	Kansas State Fire Marshal; Colorado Conveyance Program Requirements
Periodic inspection by a licensed inspector	On the jurisdiction’s cycle (annual in Colorado; every 1 to 3 years in Kansas, by county population, with an exemption for units under an accepted service agreement)	Colorado and Kansas state elevator programs
Check the certificate of operation is current and displayed	At every visit	Display: Kansas State Fire Marshal. Interval: Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Review the MCP, open deficiencies and callback history for each unit	Quarterly	Facility First program default, adjusted per site

The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit. See the preventive maintenance checklist.

Signs an elevator needs attention

The car stops above or below the floor, leaving a step at the sill
Doors reopen repeatedly, close hard or hesitate
New noise, vibration or a rough start or stop
Oil on the pit floor or around a hydraulic jack
The emergency phone, cab lighting or fire service key switch does not work
Repeat callbacks for the same fault
Open deficiencies from the last inspection, or an expired certificate

Records to keep for each elevator

Colorado’s owner checklist lists the records expected on site:

Up-to-date wiring diagrams for electrical protective devices, and written check-out and evacuation procedures
A description of each maintenance task with the date performed
Documentation of all adjustments, repairs and replacements, with dates
The written oil level record, the monthly firefighters’ service log and the quarterly two-way communication log
The last 5 years of inspection and test reports
Acceptance inspection reports, kept for the life of the equipment
The current certificate of operation and a list of authorized personnel

How Facility First runs elevator maintenance across a portfolio

Facility First manages the work through vetted local elevator contractors that hold the licenses and insurance the jurisdiction requires. It does not perform the work itself.

Program setup. Existing maintenance contracts are reviewed and brought under the program. Each unit is logged with its type, code edition, MCP, certificate dates and test cycle.
Scheduled visits. The contractor’s visits, tests and witnessed inspections are tracked against each unit’s cycle in PostControl, so certificate and test dates are not missed.
Requests. Callbacks and repairs are reported by the location with photos and triaged. An entrapment is reported at once to the elevator contractor and, where needed, emergency services.
Deficiencies. Inspection findings are tracked to correction within the jurisdiction’s deadline, with proof of correction filed.
Close-out and verification. Each visit closes with notes, photos and updated logs, and is checked against the MCP.
Invoice. Work outside the contract is quoted against client approval limits and invoiced in one format. See NTE meaning.

What affects the cost of elevator maintenance

Number and type of units, stops and speed
Equipment age, and the code edition it was installed under
Contract scope, from scheduled maintenance only to broader parts and repair coverage
Availability of parts for the controller and door equipment
Category 5 test years and inspector witness fees
Correction of inspection deficiencies, including single bottom jack upgrades
Permits for alterations and major repairs where the jurisdiction requires them
After-hours work to avoid trading hours

Elevator maintenance for retail stores, restaurants and offices

Retail stores. Multi-level stores rely on passenger elevators, freight elevators and escalators for customers and stock. Maintenance and tests are scheduled before opening, and an out-of-service unit can cut off the accessible route to a floor.

Restaurants. Platform lifts serving raised dining areas are regulated too. Colorado, for example, sets a Category 1 test every 5 years for indoor platform lifts and every 3 years for outdoor ones.

Offices. In multi-tenant buildings the lease sets whether the landlord or the tenant holds the elevator contract, and the program tracks the records for each location either way.

Frequently asked questions

How often should an elevator be maintained?

Maintenance intervals are set in each unit’s maintenance control program for its equipment type, and Facility First programs default to a monthly visit. Separately, Colorado, for example, requires a Category 1 test every year and, for most elevators, a Category 5 test every 5 years, and the inspection cycle depends on the jurisdiction.

What is the difference between elevator maintenance and elevator inspection?

Maintenance is the ongoing work done by the elevator contractor under the MCP. Inspection is the periodic check by a licensed inspector for the authority having jurisdiction, which leads to the certificate of operation.

What is a maintenance control program?

A written program, required under ASME A17.1, listing the maintenance tasks and their intervals, the required tests and the procedures for each unit. Colorado publishes a checklist owners can use to check that a compliant MCP is in place.

What is a Category 5 test?

A five-year safety test under ASME A17.1. Kansas requires it on all elevators at five-year intervals, and Colorado requires it to be witnessed by an inspector. In Colorado a hydraulic elevator needs it only if it has car safeties, a plunger gripper, a governor, an oil buffer or an overspeed valve.

Can existing elevator contracts be kept?

Yes. Existing contracts can be brought under the program so each unit’s visits, tests, certificates and deficiencies are tracked in one place.

Sources

Put elevator maintenance for every location on one program.