NFPA 72 2019 · 2022 · Tables 14.3.1 and 14.4.3.2
Inspection and testing frequency
Pick the edition, the month of the annual visit and what the building has. The planner lays out the year — what is due at each visit, what runs weekly or monthly between visits, and what is tracked over several years — and prints it as a PDF.
The frequency table
Periodic frequencies for the parts found in most small commercial systems, summarized in our words. Every part is also inspected and tested at initial acceptance and after changes. The item numbers point to the tables in NFPA 72 so you can check the wording in your copy.
Whole system
Inspect · All equipment — condition, damage, obstructions, building or use changes
Annual14.3.1 item 1
Control unit
Inspect · Control unit (monitored) — fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps/LEDs, primary power
Annual14.3.1 item 2(1)(a)–(d)
Inspect · Control unit (monitored) — trouble signals
Semiannual14.3.1 item 2(1)(e)
Inspect · Control unit on a system NOT monitored off-site — fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps/LEDs, primary power, trouble signals
Weekly14.3.1 item 2(2)(a)–(e)
Test · Control unit functions, fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps/LEDs, primary power (tested at maximum load with the battery disconnected)
Annual14.4.3.2 item 2(1)–(5)
Test · Trouble signals, disconnect switches, ground-fault monitoring, off-premises trouble transmission
Annual14.4.3.2 item 3(1)–(4)
Supervising station
Inspect · Transmitters on the premises (DACT, DART, radio, other)
Annual14.3.1 item 4(1)–(5)
Test · Transmission equipment on the premises — signals received, communication paths
Annual14.4.3.2 item 4(1)–(6)
Batteries and power
Inspect · VRLA battery — month/year marking
Semiannual14.3.1 item 9(1)(b)
Test · VRLA battery — temperature, charger, cell voltage and ohmic tests
Semiannual14.4.3.2 item 9(1)–(4)
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
Annual14.4.3.2 item 8
Test · VRLA battery — replace, or load-test (replace at 80% capacity or less)
Every 3 years14.4.3.2 item 9(5)
Inspect · Primary (dry-cell) batteries, non-wireless — inspect; replace within 12 months
Semiannual14.3.1 item 9(2)
Test · Engine-driven generator dedicated to the fire alarm system
Monthly14.4.3.2 item 6
Inspect · NAC power extenders and remote power supplies
Annual14.3.1 items 12–13
Inspect · Surge protective devices
Semiannual14.3.1 item 14
Annunciators and voice
Inspect · Remote annunciators
Semiannual14.3.1 item 11
Inspect · In-building voice evacuation equipment
Semiannual14.3.1 item 5
Initiating devices
Inspect · Manual pull stations
Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(5)
Test · Manual pull stations
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(5)
Inspect · Smoke detectors
Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(9)
Test · Smoke detectors — functional test with smoke entry
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(7)(a)
Test · Smoke detectors — sensitivity: within 1 year of installation, then every other year; after the second test, up to 5 years if within the listed and marked range
Every 1–5 years14.4.3.2 item 17(8) · 14.4.4.3
Inspect · Duct smoke detectors
Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(2)(a)
Inspect · Duct detector sampling tubes
Annual14.3.1 item 17(2)(b)
Test · Duct smoke detectors, with the sampling-tube airflow check
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(7)(e)
Inspect · Projected-beam smoke detectors
Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(10)
Test · Projected-beam smoke detectors
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(7)(f)
Inspect · Heat detectors
Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(6)
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
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(4)(a) · 14.4.4.5
Test · Non-restorable fixed-temperature spot heat detectors — after 15 years replace all, or lab-test 2 per 100; if tested, repeat every 5 years
15 years, then every 514.4.3.2 item 17(4)(c)
Test · Multi-sensor / multi-criteria detectors — each sensor
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(12)
Inspect · Carbon monoxide detectors
Semiannual14.3.1 item 19(2)
Test · Carbon monoxide detectors on the fire alarm system
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(9)(a)
Sprinkler supervision
Inspect · Supervisory signal devices (valve tamper switches)
2019 Quarterly · 2022 Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(11)
Test · Valve tamper switches — signal within 2 handwheel turns or 1/5 of travel
Semiannual14.4.3.2 item 17(10)(a)
Inspect · Waterflow devices
2019 Quarterly · 2022 Semiannual14.3.1 item 17(12)
Test · Waterflow devices (inspector’s test flow)
Semiannual14.4.3.2 item 17(11)
Test · Other supervisory switches — air pressure, room or water temperature, water level, pressure
Annual14.4.3.2 item 17(10)(b)–(g)
Notification appliances
Inspect · Horns, speakers and strobes
Semiannual14.3.1 item 22(1)–(3)(a)
Test · Audible appliances — operation
Annual14.4.3.2 item 22(1)
Test · Loudspeakers and audible textual appliances
Annual14.4.3.2 item 22(2)
Test · Visual appliances — each one flashes
Annual14.4.3.2 item 22(3)
Control functions
Test · Emergency control functions (door releases, HVAC shutdown, elevator recall and others)
Annual14.4.3.2 item 24
Two rules that move the dates (2022, 14.4.4). A remotely monitored control unit that is specifically listed to test itself automatically at least weekly lets the manual test move to annual. Devices that cannot be reached safely may be tested during scheduled shutdowns, if the authority having jurisdiction approves, at intervals of no more than 18 months.
Sources: the base text of NFPA’s published revision reports for the 2022 and 2025 editions, which reproduce the 2019 and 2022 tables, compared row by row. Frequency definitions from NFPA’s draft reports for the 2019, 2022 and 2025 editions. Read on October 6, 2026. Items unique to large or special systems (supervising station receivers, fiber, wireless, gas detection, two-way radio) are left out.
What «semiannual» allows
NFPA 72 defines each frequency as a minimum and maximum time between events, so a visit can move without falling out of step. The wording is the same in both editions — 3.3.121 in 2019, 3.3.128 in 2022.
- Weekly
- 52 times a year, once per calendar week
- Monthly
- 12 times a year, once per calendar month
- Quarterly
- 4 times a year, at least 2 and at most 4 months apart
- Semiannual
- Twice a year, at least 4 and at most 8 months apart
- Annual
- Once a year, at least 9 and at most 15 months apart
A visit that carries items of two frequencies has to fit both windows — in 2019, the six-month visit holds quarterly and semiannual items, so it falls 5 to 7 months after the annual visit. The planner shows each visit’s window.
Questions
How often does a fire alarm system have to be tested?
Most devices are tested once a year — pull stations, smoke detectors, horns and strobes, the control unit and its trouble signals. Restorable spot heat detectors go in rotation: at least two on each initiating circuit every year, different ones each year, so every detector is tested within five years. Some things are more frequent: valve tamper switches and waterflow devices are tested semiannually, VRLA batteries get their temperature, charger, voltage and ohmic tests semiannually, and a dedicated engine generator is tested monthly. Visual inspections run on their own schedule, mostly semiannual.
What changed between the 2019 and 2022 editions?
For the common items on this page, one frequency changed: the visual inspection of supervisory signal devices (valve tamper switches) and waterflow devices went from quarterly in 2019 to semiannual in 2022. Their test frequency stayed semiannual. Other changes were wording — for example, «transient suppressors» became «surge protective devices».
How late can an annual inspection be?
NFPA 72 defines annual as once per year with at least 9 and at most 15 months between visits. Semiannual is 4 to 8 months apart and quarterly 2 to 4 months apart. The definitions read the same in the 2019 and 2022 editions.
How often is smoke detector sensitivity tested?
Within one year of installation, then every other year. After the second required test, if the readings stay within the listed and marked range, the interval can be extended up to five years.
When does a VRLA battery need replacing?
Every three years, replace it or load-test it; a battery at 80 percent of its rated capacity or less is replaced. The 2022 edition also asks for a label with a replacement date no more than four years from installation.
Does the control unit need a weekly inspection?
Only when the system is not monitored by a supervising station. Then the fuses, interfaced equipment, lamps and LEDs, primary power and trouble signals are visually checked weekly. On a monitored system those checks are annual, and the trouble signals semiannual.
Record each visit
Write the results on the free inspection and testing form. Check the battery with the battery calculator, and look up the edition your state adopted. In Strobeline, the office screen lists every building coming due in the next 30 days.