NFPA 96 cleaning requirements, plus what your local fire marshal actually cares about.

How hood cleaning rules work in the US

NFPA 96 is a model standard. It becomes enforceable when a state or city adopts a fire code that references it, most often the International Fire Code or NFPA 1. The adopting jurisdiction picks the edition and can add its own amendments, so two cities in the same state can expect different paperwork.

The office that enforces the adopted code is the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ): usually the fire marshal or a fire prevention bureau. What the AHJ accepts is what counts on inspection day.

What stays the same everywhere

• Minimum frequency by cooking type: solid fuel monthly, high volume quarterly, moderate volume semi-annually, low volume annually.
• Cleaning to bare metal across the whole system, from the hood to the fan on the roof, wherever it can be reached.
• A written report after every service stating the date, what was cleaned, what was not cleaned or could not be reached, and any deficiencies.

What changes from one jurisdiction to the next

• Which edition of the fire code and of NFPA 96 is in force.
• Whether the cleaning contractor needs a license, registration or permit.
• Whether the AHJ asks for more frequent cleaning than the NFPA 96 minimum.
• Whether reports stay on site or have to be filed with the fire department.
• What the service sticker on the hood has to show.

Questions to ask your fire marshal

1. Which fire code edition applies to my address, and are there local amendments for commercial cooking?
2. Does the company cleaning my exhaust system need a local license or registration?
3. How often do you expect a kitchen like mine to be cleaned?
4. Do you want the cleaning report sent to you, or kept on site for inspection?
5. What do you look for first when you inspect the hood?