What does this emergency lighting and exit signs annual checklist cover?

13 items across 4 sections, covering before the discharge, duration discharge observed, restoration, documentation. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The building engineer or the electrical service tech running the full-duration discharge, recording start, end and any early dropouts on the site record.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, scheduled when the extended discharge can run without leaving occupied areas in the dark, and coordinated so units are recharged and back in service before the space is used.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

5 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 7 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an emergency lighting and exit signs annual inspection?

Discharge started but never walked at the end of the run, so a unit that quit partway through the required duration is recorded as having passed. One or two heads that dropped early during the discharge noted but not tracked to a battery replacement, so the same units fail again next year. Units cut short and switched back before they are fully recharged, so the next real outage finds them only partly restored.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Emergency lighting and exit signs annual maintenance checklist

The annual emergency lighting service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 101, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Before the discharge

Owner told before the duration test starts
Owner and occupants of the floors under test told when normal lighting will be cut and for how long, and the monitoring company told first where the run could send a signal.
No photo
Run time set from the governing standard or the AHJ
Required duration taken from the life safety or building code family that applies, or from the AHJ's direction, and written on the test record before power is cut.
No photo
Test staged so egress stays lit during recharge
Run done floor by floor or while the space is empty, with portable lighting staged, so no occupied egress path is left without lighting while units recharge.
No photo

Duration discharge observed

Normal supply cut at the control that feeds the test area
Branch breaker opened under the site's electrical safety procedure and its PPE, or the inverter or transfer test switch used, control photographed in test position, never batteries pulled.
Full-duration discharge run and walked to the end
Normal power cut and units run on battery for the full required duration, the egress path walked at the end of the run to confirm heads and exit faces are still adequately lit.
Early dropouts identified during the run
Any head, combo unit or exit sign that dims or drops before the end of the discharge identified by location and flagged for battery replacement.
Central source readings taken during the run where fitted
Where lights run from a central inverter or battery system, output voltage, load and battery voltage read mid-run against the nameplate and last year's readings.
No photo

Restoration

Units recharged and returned to normal after the run
Normal power restored, charge indicators confirmed recovering on each unit, no fixture left showing a fault before the area is put back in service.
Owner told once recharge is complete
Owner told the lighting is back in service once charge indicators show full or the manufacturer's recharge time has passed, and the monitoring company told if it was notified.
No photo

Documentation

Discharge result and failed units recorded on the building side
Discharge date, duration and each unit that failed or dropped early logged with a photo and its location on the site record so replacements can be tracked to closure.
Battery age checked against the replacement record
Each unit's battery install date from the log or its date label set against the manufacturer's service life, with batteries near the end scheduled for replacement.
No photo
Repaired units given their own duration test
Each unit given a new battery or replaced after the run is recharged and run for the full duration again, with its result added to the log.
No photo
Test log for the year complete and on file
Log shows every quarterly round and this annual run, dated with the tester's name, kept where the owner and the AHJ can review it.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Discharge started but never walked at the end of the run, so a unit that quit partway through the required duration is recorded as having passed.
One or two heads that dropped early during the discharge noted but not tracked to a battery replacement, so the same units fail again next year.
Units cut short and switched back before they are fully recharged, so the next real outage finds them only partly restored.

Verified against

NFPA 101

Common questions

6 answers

What does this emergency lighting and exit signs annual checklist cover?: 13 items across 4 sections, covering before the discharge, duration discharge observed, restoration, documentation. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The building engineer or the electrical service tech running the full-duration discharge, recording start, end and any early dropouts on the site record.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, scheduled when the extended discharge can run without leaving occupied areas in the dark, and coordinated so units are recharged and back in service before the space is used.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 5 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 7 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an emergency lighting and exit signs annual inspection?: Discharge started but never walked at the end of the run, so a unit that quit partway through the required duration is recorded as having passed. One or two heads that dropped early during the discharge noted but not tracked to a battery replacement, so the same units fail again next year. Units cut short and switched back before they are fully recharged, so the next real outage finds them only partly restored.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 7 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.