Kenner, LA Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)

Kenner Code of Ordinances § 8-2 requires early warning smoke detection, alarm systems, and automatic sprinklers in every high-rise building in the city, defined in subsection (B) as any structure exceeding thirty-five feet in height, including roof-level mechanical rooms and penthouses. Subsection (C)(6) adds elevator-specific construction rules for those buildings. Except at the main entrance level, every elevator must open into a lobby separated from the rest of the floor by a vestibule whose doors carry at least a one-hour fire-resistive rating, automatic closing devices, and a drop sill to limit air leakage; those doors must close automatically once a smoke detector on the lobby ceiling activates, sending all cars serving that lobby back to the main floor under manual control only.

Elevator hoistways cannot be vented through the elevator machine room; cable slots entering that room must be sleeved beneath the floor and extend at least twelve inches below the shaft vent so smoke cannot pass through into the machine room. Every elevator location, plus the building's central fire control room, must keep a set of elevator keys on hand, and every elevator needs a two-way communication system tied to an emergency service operating twenty-four hours a day, along with fire department control mechanisms. The City of Kenner Department of Regulatory Inspections and the Kenner Fire Department inspect for compliance, the rule applies only to buildings built after the ordinance's effective date, and single-family dwellings are excluded under subsection (E). A violation carries a $200-per-day fine, with each day counted as a separate offense.