NFPA 72 2019 · 2022 · free · no account
Annual fire alarm inspection report
Fill in the annual inspection and testing record on site — system, power, signals, every device, what is still open — sign it, and download the PDF. Paste the device list from last year’s spreadsheet instead of retyping it.
Free downloads — no sign-up
- PDFBlank form — 2022 editionPrint and fill by hand · 12 pages · 92 device rows
- PDFBlank form — 2019 editionPrint and fill by hand · 12 pages · 92 device rows
- ExcelDevice test sheet200 rows · Pass / Fail / Not tested drop-down · totals
- PDFA completed report (example)A fictional building, made by the Strobeline app
What the annual visit covers
For a typical monitored system, under the 2022 edition. The semiannual items fall on the annual visit too; under 2019, valve tamper and waterflow devices are also inspected quarterly. Your system may have more — check every component it has.
Whole system
- Inspect · All equipment — condition, damage, obstructions, building or use changes
Control unit
- Inspect · Control unit (monitored) — fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps/LEDs, primary power
- Inspect · Control unit (monitored) — trouble signals · semiannual
- Test · Control unit functions, fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps/LEDs, primary power (tested at maximum load with the battery disconnected)
- Test · Trouble signals, disconnect switches, ground-fault monitoring, off-premises trouble transmission
Batteries and power
- Inspect · VRLA battery — month/year marking · semiannual
- Test · VRLA battery — temperature, charger, cell voltage and ohmic tests · semiannual
- Test · Secondary power — loss-of-AC trouble; battery capacity covers standby and alarm demand including the safety margin; general alarm 5 min (voice 15 min) on battery
Initiating devices
- Inspect · Manual pull stations · semiannual
- Test · Manual pull stations
- Inspect · Smoke detectors · semiannual
- Test · Smoke detectors — functional test with smoke entry
- Inspect · Heat detectors · semiannual
- Test · Restorable heat detectors — at least 2 on each initiating circuit every year, different ones each year, every detector within 5 years; owner keeps the record of which
Sprinkler supervision
- Inspect · Supervisory signal devices (valve tamper switches) · semiannual
- Test · Valve tamper switches — signal within 2 handwheel turns or 1/5 of travel · semiannual
- Inspect · Waterflow devices · semiannual
- Test · Waterflow devices (inspector’s test flow) · semiannual
Notification appliances
- Inspect · Horns, speakers and strobes · semiannual
- Test · Audible appliances — operation
- Test · Visual appliances — each one flashes
Control functions
- Test · Emergency control functions (door releases, HVAC shutdown, elevator recall and others)
The full table, with item numbers and the 2019 differences, is in the frequency planner. Smoke detector sensitivity runs on its own clock — work out when it is due.
What the report has to show
- 1
Every applicable item, or N/A
The 2022 edition (7.6.6) accepts your own form if it carries all the applicable information on NFPA’s inspection and testing forms. Mark what does not apply as N/A rather than leaving it blank.
- 2
Each device and its result
Type, address, location and pass or fail for every initiating device, notification appliance and interface — not a count.
- 3
Which frequency the visit covers
Annual, with the semiannual or quarterly items done on the same visit.
- 4
The edition and the inspector
The NFPA 72 edition the system was tested to, and the inspector’s name, organization, qualifications and signature.
- 5
Who was notified, and when
The supervising station, building staff and anyone else told before testing started and after the system was back to normal.
- 6
What is still wrong
Impairments and deficiencies not corrected before the visit ended. The owner is told in writing within 24 hours (14.2.2.2.3 in the 2019 edition, 14.2.2.3.2 in 2022).
Questions
What does an annual fire alarm inspection include?
A visual inspection of the whole system and a functional test of nearly every component: the control unit and its trouble signals, the batteries and charger, the connection to the supervising station, every pull station, smoke detector, horn and strobe, the emergency control functions such as door releases and elevator recall, and — on the same visit — the semiannual items such as valve tamper switches and waterflow devices. Restorable heat detectors are tested in rotation, at least two per circuit each year.
How late can the annual inspection be?
NFPA 72 defines annual as once per year with at least 9 and at most 15 months between visits (3.3.121.5 in the 2019 edition, 3.3.128.5 in 2022). Your state or the authority having jurisdiction may set a firmer date.
Who keeps the report, and for how long?
Records are kept until the next test and for one year after it (14.6.2.1). Paper or electronic records are both allowed (14.6.2.3). Your state may ask for longer — the longer rule wins.
Is there an official annual inspection form?
NFPA 72 includes sample record forms, but the 2022 edition (7.6.6) also accepts an alternative record that includes all the applicable information those forms show. None of the states we checked publishes its own fire alarm inspection form. Some jurisdictions collect reports through an online portal.
Next year, start from this year
This free form keeps one record in this browser and marks the PDF as a sample. In Strobeline, each building keeps its device list and report facts from one year to the next, signed reports are stored unchanged, the office sees which buildings are coming due, and every PDF carries an address where the stored record can be checked. See pricing.