Elevators in Memphis buildings are inspected and certified under the Tennessee Elevator Safety Act administered by the State Fire Marshal, with Memphis Office of Construction Code Enforcement coordinating local building permits for installation and major alterations.
Tennessee TCA §68-121 (Elevator and Amusement Device Safety Act) places primary inspection authority with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, State Fire Marshal Elevator Inspection Section. Memphis building owners must hold a current state operating certificate and post it visibly. Memphis Code Chapter 6 layers building-permit requirements for installation, modernization, and major repair through Memphis Construction Code Enforcement, with permit inspections aligned to ASME A17.1. Annual third-party inspections by licensed inspectors are required, and reports are filed with the State Fire Marshal. Out-of-service elevators must be tagged and barricaded.
State Fire Marshal civil penalties, suspended operating certificates, Memphis stop-use orders for unsafe equipment, and Environmental Court fines for operating elevators without current state certification.
See how Memphis's elevator maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.