All conveyances such as elevators and escalators must be inspected and certified for operation under District regulations. (DCMR 12A, 3001 General)

What Are Conveyances?

Types of conveyances are:

• Passenger Elevators
• Freight Elevator (Power Driven)
• Freight Elevator (Hand Driven)
• Escalator
• Wheelchair Lift
• Dumbwaiter (Hand Driven)
• Dumbwaiter (Power Driven)
• Man Lift
• Sidewalk Elevator (Power Driven)

Change to Agency Authority

Effective October 1, 2025, the Department of Buildings (DOB) has oversight for inspections and certifications of conveyances. Before this date, DOB had inspection oversight and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) issued “licenses.”

As a result of changes that the BEST Act made to DLCP’s licensing authority, DOB added the role of approving conveyances. The results of this change are:

• One-stop process. Customers now only need to use one agency to get their conveyances inspected and approved for operation.
• “Licenses” become “certificates.” DOB is issuing conveyance “certificates” under the authority of the Code Official and the Construction Codes.

Inspection Steps

The owner must connect with a DOB approved Third-party Elevator Inspection Agency (find one using this link), which conducts inspections of all elevators and conveyances in the District on DOB’s behalf. To include:

• Final acceptance inspection on an elevator permit, such as an elevator repair, elevator alteration, and new elevator permits.
• Ongoing inspections required for safe operation and maintenance of the elevator and its equipment, and the issuance of the elevator certificate.  

To obtain your elevator Certificate of Inspection, submit the Third-Party Inspection Reports for the past two years (expected four passed inspection reports) to DOB through the Citizen Access Portal.

• Required inspections by an ASME QEI certified inspector are:
  • Periodic Inspection: every 12 months
  • Category 1 Inspection: every 12 months (alternating with the Periodic Inspection)
  • Category 5 Inspection: every 60 months

Required Display of Inspection Certificate

A copy of the current certificate must be conspicuously displayed within the elevator car or attached to the conveying system unless exempted.

If the building operator has an office in the same building, the certificate can be made available for public inspection in the office rather within the elevator (DCMR 12A, 3009.4.1).

How Long Is an Inspection Certificate Effective?

The certificate is valid for two years; during that period the conveyance must undergo periodic inspections and testing (DCMR 12A, 3009.5).

Certificate Status During Permit Work

Conveyances under permit for alteration or modernization may have the certificate temporarily suspended during construction. Final acceptance inspections and tests must be performed as described before before the certificate is reinstated (DCMR 12A, 3009.2).

Conveyance Fees

Conveyances		Enhanced Technology Fee	Total
Elevator repair permit fee	1% of construction cost	10% additional	1.1% of construction cost
New elevator permit fee	$85	10% additional	$93.50
Inspection Certificate Fees
Dumbwaiter (Hand-Driven)	$145	10% additional	$159.50
Dumbwaiter (Powered)	$186	10% additional	$204.60
Escalator	$212	10% additional	$233.20
Freight Elevator (Hand-Driven)	$166	10% additional	$182.60
Freight Elevator (Powered)	$236	10% additional	$259.60
Man Lift	$212	10% additional	$233.20
Material Lift	$186	10% additional	$204.60
Passenger Elevator	$236	10% additional	$259.60
Sidewalk Elevator (Powered)	$261	10% additional	$287.10
Sidewalk Elevator (Hand-Driven)	$142	10% additional	$156.20
Wheelchair Lift	$212	10% additional	$233.20

Questions?

Contact DOB’s Office of Construction and Building Standards at [email protected].