Insparisk is a certified third-party elevator inspection agency in Pennsylvania, listed by the Department of Labor & Industry for Chapter 405 (Elevators and Other Lifting Devices) in every county. On December 20, 2026 the state's elevator rules change: Category 1 testing becomes a stand-alone annual requirement, and every test must be witnessed by a certified UCC Elevator Inspector.
Pennsylvania regulates elevators and other lifting devices statewide through the Department of Labor & Industry under 34 Pa. Code Chapter 405. Periodic tests are performed by your elevator maintenance contractor and witnessed by a construction code official, who inspects the device and reports the results to the Department. The party that performs your test and the party that witnesses it are two different roles.
Insparisk fills the witnessing and inspection role, and because we are an independent inspection agency that does not perform maintenance, there is no conflict with your service provider. Our certified inspectors witness your Category 1, 3 and 5 tests, perform periodic and acceptance inspections, and file the results with the Department, so your certificates stay current.
Category 1 testing was previously done alongside the 3-year and 5-year tests. It now stands on its own, every year, for every device.
The final rule states that all testing must be witnessed by a construction code official certified as a UCC Elevator Inspector.
Pennsylvania moves from ASME A17.1-2000 (with 2002 addenda) to the 2016 edition, and updates the standards for lifts, conveyors and man-lifts.
Wheelchair platform lifts and stairway chairlifts now have written 1, 3 and 5 year test intervals, each witnessed by a certified UCC Elevator Inspector.
Partly. Design and construction standards are not retroactive: permits submitted before December 20, 2026 remain valid, and devices permitted under earlier standards continue to be governed by them. Testing and inspection requirements are different. They attach to the operation of the device, not the year it was permitted, so the annual Category 1 test and the certified-witness requirement apply to existing buildings too. "We are grandfathered" is true of the construction standard, not of the test schedule.
We are listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry as a certified third-party elevator inspection agency for Chapter 405 in every county, from Philadelphia and the collar counties to Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley and Erie. For Pennsylvania owners and managers we provide:
Managing buildings in more than one state? We also inspect elevators in Maryland and New York City, and manage elevator compliance nationwide. See all Pennsylvania deadlines on the Pennsylvania compliance calendar.
Elevators and other lifting devices are regulated statewide by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry under 34 Pa. Code Chapter 405. Periodic tests are performed by the owner's maintenance contractor and witnessed by a certified construction code official, either from the Department or from a certified third-party inspection agency such as Insparisk.
Category 1 testing becomes a stand-alone annual requirement for every elevator, every test must be witnessed by a construction code official certified as a UCC Elevator Inspector, and Pennsylvania adopts ASME A17.1-2016 in place of the 2000 edition. Platform lifts and stairway chairlifts get written 1, 3 and 5 year test intervals.
The design and construction standards are not retroactive, so existing elevators do not have to be rebuilt to the 2016 edition. The testing and inspection requirements, including the annual Category 1 test and the certified witness, apply to existing devices.
Yes. Insparisk LLC is listed by the Department of Labor & Industry as a certified third-party elevator inspection agency for Chapter 405, Elevators and Other Lifting Devices, covering every county in the Commonwealth.
Under the updated rules, inspection results are generally due within 15 days in a format acceptable to the Department, and a failed periodic inspection must be reported to the Department within one business day.
No. Passenger ropeways, including ski lifts, aerial tramways and tows, require a construction code official certified as a UCC Passenger Ropeway Inspector, and dynamic testing moves to ANSI B77.1-2022. An elevator inspector certification does not cover them.
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