Columbus, OH Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- State Law
- ORC Chapter 4105
- Inspections
- Annual by certified inspectors
- Maintenance
- Quarterly minimum (public)
- Standard
- ASME A17.1
- Agency
- Division of Industrial Compliance
Summary
Ohio requires annual elevator inspections under Ohio Building Code and ORC Chapter 4105. The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Industrial Compliance oversees elevator safety. Maintenance contracts with certified companies are required. Annual permits must be posted in each elevator.
Section 4105.10 | Frequency of inspection.
(A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, elevators shall be inspected in accordance with the following:
(1) Every passenger elevator, escalator, moving walk, and freight elevator, including gravity elevators, shall be inspected twice every twelve months.
(2) Power dumb-waiters, hoists, and other lifting or lowering apparatus, not designed to carry persons, permanently installed, either on or between rails or guides, shall be inspected at least once every twelve months.
(3) The board of building standards may designate, by rule, classifications of passenger elevators with a capacity of seven hundred fifty pounds or less that shall be inspected once every twelve months.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply to an elevator installed in a private residence.
Section 4105.13 | Safety equipment - vertical wheelchair lifts. Every elevator shall be constructed, equipped, maintained, and operated, with respect to the supporting members, elevator car, shaftways, guides, cables, doors, and gates, safety stops and mechanism, electrical apparatus and wiring, mechanical apparatus, counterweights, and all other appurtenances, in accordance with state laws and rules as are authorized in respect thereto.
Section 4105.15 | Certificate of operation - renewal. No certificate of operation for any elevator shall be issued by the director of commerce until such elevator has been inspected as required by this chapter. Certificates of operation shall be renewed by the owner or user of the elevator in accordance with rules adopted by the superintendent of industrial compliance pursuant to section 4105.12 of the Revised Code.
Full Breakdown
Elevator safety in Columbus is governed by ORC Chapter 4105 (Elevators) and the Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 4101:14 (Elevator Safety). The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance administers the elevator safety program. All elevators, escalators, and similar conveyances open to public use require an annual inspection and operating permit. Inspections are conducted by state-certified elevator inspectors. Building owners must maintain a service contract with a certified elevator company, with maintenance performed at intervals recommended by the manufacturer but no less than quarterly for public-use elevators.
Annual operating permits must be conspicuously posted in each elevator car. New installations and major alterations require plan review and inspection before being placed in service. 1 (Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators) as adopted by the Ohio Board of Building Standards. 3 but have reduced inspection requirements. The Division of Industrial Compliance maintains a database of registered elevators and their compliance status. Columbus has approximately 4,500 registered elevator devices across the city.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid permit: misdemeanor under ORC 4105. Fines per violation. Unsafe elevators may be ordered out of service immediately by the Division of Industrial Compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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