Smithtown, NY Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)

Section 112-22 of the Building Construction chapter puts the inspection duty squarely on the building owner: owners of all buildings, except one- and two-family dwellings, in which elevators are installed must arrange for competent inspections, by New York State-approved inspectors, of passenger elevators every six months and freight elevators every 12 months. The section then requires proof of compliance to be visible on site: a copy of each inspection, completed in accordance with the current standards set forth in the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, must be posted in each elevator car and provided to the Town upon request.

The exemption for one- and two-family dwellings means the rule falls on commercial buildings, apartment buildings, and other multi-unit or mixed-use structures with installed elevators, while the underlying inspection standards themselves are drawn from the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code adopted Town-wide at § 112-1. New elevator installations also trigger their own permit and fee under § 112-11(2)(h), which sets a $115 charge per elevator installed in a commercial building. Because the posting requirement is ongoing rather than a one-time filing, an owner has to keep the current six-month or 12-month inspection report in the car at all times, not just produce the most recent one when asked, so the Town can confirm during any site visit that the posted certificate has not lapsed.