Memphis, TN Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 14-12-16 sets the mandatory inspection schedule for every boiler and unfired pressure vessel operated in Memphis, unless specifically exempted. Power boilers, those running above 15 pounds per square inch gauge, must be inspected internally and externally every year, with an external check made under pressure when possible; the board of boiler rules can extend that interval at its discretion. Low-pressure steam, hot water heating and hot water supply boilers, and unfired pressure vessels subject to internal corrosion, are inspected both internally and externally every two years where construction allows, and a two-month grace period is built into every one of these deadlines.

New boilers and pressure vessels installed after the board's rules take effect must also be inspected during construction by a city-authorized inspector, or, if built outside Memphis, by an inspector holding an equivalent state certificate. Section 14-12-17 sets the inspection fee schedule by size: a power boiler with 50 square feet of heating surface or less costs $5 for an internal inspection and $3 externally, rising to $20 internally for boilers over 10,000 square feet, while low-pressure heating boilers run $5 to $10 depending on whether they have a manhole.

Under Section 14-12-18, a boiler or vessel that passes inspection receives a certificate valid for up to 14 months, which must be posted under glass in the boiler room or, for portable units, kept in a metal container attached to the equipment. Section 14-12-19 makes it a misdemeanor to operate a boiler or unfired pressure vessel under pressure without a valid certificate, or above the pressure the certificate authorizes, with each day of unlawful operation a separate offense. Section 14-12-20 exempts farm boilers and small residential heating equipment under 15 psig from the entire inspection scheme.