Cat 1, Cat 5 and periodic elevator inspections in NYC

Checked against the official pages listed below on 27 Oct 2026. Not legal advice.

New York City requires elevators to be inspected and tested on set cycles. The owner hires an approved agency, and the agency files the report with DOB. This page sets out the three types you will see on a building record and the deadlines DOB publishes.

The three types

Source: NYC DOB, Elevator Compliance, and 1 RCNY §103-02.
Type	What it is	How often	Report due to DOB
Periodic inspection	A visual inspection of the device.	Once a year, between January 1 and December 31.	Within 14 days of the inspection date.
Category 1 (Cat 1)	A no-load safety test.	Once a year, between January 1 and December 31.	Within 21 days of the test date.
Category 5 (Cat 5)	A test with rated load and speed.	Every 5 years: within 5 years of the month of the last Cat 5 test, or of the month a new elevator got its certificate of compliance.	Within 21 days of the test date.

The rule also defines a Category 3 test, due within three years of the month a new elevator got its certificate of compliance, or of the most recent Category 3 test on an existing one. Its report is due within 21 days of the test, like Cat 1 and Cat 5. §103-02 does not say here which devices need it, so check the rule before relying on this.

DOB says the agency doing the periodic inspection cannot be affiliated with the agency that maintains the device. Category tests are witnessed by approved independent third-party agencies, and the owner is responsible for hiring them.

What happens when defects are found

Under §103-02(e), defects found on a category test or a periodic inspection must be corrected within 90 days of the inspection or test. An affirmation of correction saying all defects are corrected must be filed within 14 days of the date of correction. DOB's compliance page says defects not corrected and filed within 104 days of the initial inspection lead to a failure-to-correct violation, called an FTC violation. Hazardous conditions, and defects tied to firefighters' Phase I emergency recall or Phase II in-car operation, must be corrected immediately and do not get the 90 days.

How a missed deadline shows up

A report filed after its deadline but inside DOB's late window is accepted with a late fee. DOB says periodic reports not filed by January 14 of the following year are not accepted, and Cat 1 reports not filed by January 21 of the following year are not accepted. A Cat 5 report is not accepted after the 21st day of the month following the five-year anniversary. In each case a failure-to-file violation is issued instead. The amounts are in how to read elevator and boiler penalties, and the clearing steps are in what a failure-to-file notice means.

Private residences

Under §103-02(d)(5), periodic inspection reports for private elevators need not be filed with DOB. They must be kept for six years and given to DOB on request. The rule also lets a private residence elevator have its periodic inspection and category testing on the same date.

Where this appears on a building page

Each building page lists the devices on file with the date of the last Cat 1 and Cat 5 report DOB has. A Cat 1 date more than a year old on an active device is highlighted, because the test is annual. It can mean the report was not filed, or that DOB has not yet posted it. The city record linked from the page is the place to confirm.

Sources

Related guides

Browse violations by borough

General information from public NYC sources, current as of 27 Oct 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm with DOB before you act. Not affiliated with NYC DOB.