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CET Elevator study materials
CET Elevator study resources

CET Elevator: Codes, Standards, and Compliance

CET Elevator · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Codes, Standards, and Compliance

What this domain tests

This domain tests your command of the documents that govern elevator work and the compliance process around them: which standard applies to new versus existing equipment, what an inspection guide is and is not, electrical code requirements, acceptance testing, certificates of operation, and the role of the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Core documents

  • ASME A17.1/CSA B44: safety code for new elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, and moving walks; also governs alterations and certain maintenance requirements.
  • ASME A17.3: safety code for existing elevators and escalators that were not required to comply with later editions at installation.
  • ASME A17.2: inspection guide describing how to inspect and test; it is not a design standard.
  • ASME A18.1: platform lifts and stairway chairlifts.
  • NFPA 70 (NEC) Article 620: elevator-related electrical installation, including a lockable disconnecting means and selective coordination so a fault on one elevator does not disable others.
  • QEI-1 and QEI certification: qualifications for elevator inspectors; many jurisdictions require QEI-credentialed inspectors.

Compliance process

Permits, acceptance tests witnessed by the AHJ or its representative, and a certificate of operation form the normal path for new installations. Periodic inspections follow local intervals, often annually. Local amendments can be stricter than the model code, so always check the adopted edition.

Worked example

A building replaces an old relay controller with a new solid-state controller in an existing elevator. Does A17.3 or A17.1 apply? The alteration must meet A17.1 requirements for the altered equipment, because new components are judged as new equipment; A17.3 continues to govern existing features that were not part of the alteration unless the AHJ requires upgrades. The reasoning is "scope of the work," not "age of the building."

Traps that cost marks

  • Citing A17.2 as the design standard.
  • Assuming the newest code edition is retroactive to all existing elevators.
  • Ignoring local amendments and the AHJ's adopted edition.
  • Forgetting NEC 620 selective-coordination requirements for multiple elevators.
  • Treating an acceptance test as optional after an alteration.

Exam framing

Identify the document, then the edition, then the AHJ's role. Most code items hinge on that sequence.