Richmond, VA Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Cable elevator test fee, 1-4 floors
- $150.00 annual
- Cable elevator test fee, 5-10 floors
- $175.00 annual
- Annual routine inspection (no test)
- $125.00
- Certificate processing fee
- $40.00
- New elevator final acceptance
- $230.00
- Enforcing office
- Bureau of Permits and Inspections
Summary
Richmond charges building owners an annual elevator routine test fee of $150.00 to $200.00 depending on the number of floors served, plus a separate $125.00 annual routine inspection and a $40.00 certificate processing fee. The Commissioner of Buildings enforces the Uniform Statewide Building Code's elevator standards citywide.
Elevator test (includes coordinated routine inspections) Cable elevators (annual routine test fee) 1-4 floors/openings $150.00 5-10 floors/openings $175.00 10 floors/openings $200.00 Cable hydraulic (annual routine test fee) $150.00 Hydraulic (annual routine test fee) $150.00 Escalator (annual routine test fee) $150.00 Miscellaneous for units not listed above (annual routine test fee) $100.00 Reinspections (per visit) $50.00 Elevator annual routine inspection (without test) $125.00 Elevator certificate processing fee $40.00 Final acceptance of new elevators or elevator modernization $230.00 Elevator accidents, complaints, and emergencies per hour $63.00
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Recodification).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-1 adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, including its elevator, escalator and mechanical installation standards, by reference for every building in the City. Section 5-4 assigns enforcement to the Commissioner of Buildings, who serves as the Building Official and Building Maintenance Official within the Bureau of Permits and Inspections and administers the state code locally. 00 for other covered equipment not separately listed. 00 per reinspection visit when a unit fails on the first pass. 00 per hour for elevator accidents, complaints and emergency calls.
Section 5-3 makes it unlawful to maintain or use any elevator or other equipment regulated by the Uniform Statewide Building Code in violation of that code, punishable as set out in Code of Virginia § 36-106.
Violations & Fines
Operating an elevator that is out of compliance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code, or missing a required annual test or inspection, is a violation of Section 5-3, punishable under Code of Virginia § 36-106. A unit that fails its scheduled test or inspection triggers a $50.00 reinspection fee per follow-up visit, and a new or modernized elevator cannot be placed into service until it passes the $230.00 final acceptance inspection administered by the Bureau of Permits and Inspections.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must Richmond building owners test their elevators?
What does it cost to get a new elevator approved in Richmond?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richmond
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