Free checklist
Fire alarmFire alarm rough-in inspection checklist
Fire alarm rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 72, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
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.
Approved layout and inspection
Rough-in laid out from the AHJ-reviewed fire alarm drawings
Device locations taken from the permit set the AHJ reviewed at its latest revision, not from the bid set or the electrical plan.
No photoCeiling device boxes clear of diffusers, lights and beams
Detector boxes kept off supply diffusers and away from beams and soffits as the approved drawings show; conflicts raised with the fire alarm designer before a box moves.
AHJ fire alarm rough-in inspection scheduled or passed
Area on the AHJ's rough-in inspection calendar, or the passed result recorded, before insulation and drywall crews are released to close it.
No photo
Boxes and conduit
Back boxes secured, square and at the correct depth
Box firmly mounted to framing and set to the finished wall or ceiling surface, no crushed or over-deep boxes at pulls, horns and strobes.
Conduit and sleeves supported and roughed to the device layout
Raceway supported at the required intervals, stub-ups and sleeves landing at the device and panel locations on the plan.
Fire alarm junction and pull boxes identified
Covers painted, labeled or marked the way the project specification calls for at every fire alarm junction and pull box, so no other system gets spliced in.
Interface and relay box locations roughed as drawn
Boxes for duct detectors, door-holder relays, elevator and HVAC interface modules set where the approved drawings show them and reachable after cover.
No photo
Wire type and separation
Circuit cable is the specified type and gauge
Cable jacket marking matches the type and gauge the design calls for on initiating, notification and signaling circuits.
Fire alarm wiring separated from line-voltage circuits
Signaling conductors kept out of raceways and boxes shared with power, separation held where they run parallel.
Conductors marked by circuit and left with tails at every box
Signaling line, notification and power conductors identified by circuit in each box, with enough tail left for the installer to land the device without tracing.
Exposed cable runs supported on their own, not laid on the ceiling
Where cable runs exposed, fire alarm cable strapped or hung from its own supports, not lying on tile or grid or tied to ductwork, pipe or ceiling hanger wire.
No photoRedundant circuit paths routed apart as the design shows
Where the design uses Class A or other redundant circuits, the outgoing and return runs kept on the separate routes drawn, never in the same raceway.
No photo
Mounting heights
Device rough-ins set to the required mounting heights
Strobe, horn, pull-station and manual-station boxes checked against the mounting height for that device before the finish covers them.
Wall device boxes clear of door swings, casework and fixed displays
Strobe, speaker and pull boxes not landing behind door swings, cabinets, whiteboards or TV walls shown on the interior elevations.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Device back boxes roughed to a stud line without checking the ceiling and reflected plan, so pulls and horns land off the required mounting height once the finish goes up.
- Initiating and notification wiring run in the same raceway as line-voltage circuits, with the separation never verified before the walls close.
- The wrong cable type pulled for the circuit, discovered after cover when it won't pass the acceptance walk.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this fire alarm rough-in checklist cover?
- 14 items across 4 sections, covering approved layout and inspection, boxes and conduit, wire type and separation, mounting heights. 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 fire alarm foreman walking their own rough-in, or the GC's superintendent at the pre-cover hold point.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After back boxes and conduit are set and the circuits are pulled, before insulation, drywall and ceiling grid close in and before the rough-in inspection is called.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 12 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 a fire alarm rough-in inspection?
- Device back boxes roughed to a stud line without checking the ceiling and reflected plan, so pulls and horns land off the required mounting height once the finish goes up. Initiating and notification wiring run in the same raceway as line-voltage circuits, with the separation never verified before the walls close. The wrong cable type pulled for the circuit, discovered after cover when it won't pass the acceptance walk.
- 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
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 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.