Strobeline

NFPA 72 14.4.4.3 · 2019 · 2022 · free record

Smoke detector sensitivity test

Enter the listed range and each detector’s reading — or paste the panel’s report. The record marks every detector in or out of range, works out when the next sensitivity test is due, and prints a signed PDF.

  1. 1Within 1 year after installation 14.4.4.3.1
  2. 2Then every alternate year 14.4.4.3.2
  3. 3After the second required test, if the detectors stayed within their listed and marked range: up to 5 years 14.4.4.3.3
  4. 4While extended: keep nuisance-alarm records and trends, and test any zone where nuisance alarms rose over the previous year 14.4.4.3.3.1–.2

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Schedule

The schedule is the same in both.

From the detector’s label or data sheet. With a range and a reading, each detector is marked in or out of range for you — or pick the result yourself.

Detectors

0 entered · 0 in range · 0 outside

Paste a list (spreadsheet or the panel’s report)
Tabs or commas. A header row with «Address», «Location» and «Reading» (or «%», «Sensitivity») is read by name.

Next sensitivity test due by

October 11, 2028

This is the first test — the next is due within 2 years (every alternate year, 14.4.4.3.2). The 5-year extension can only follow the second test (14.4.4.3.3).

Tested by

Sign here (optional)

Questions

How often do smoke detectors need a sensitivity test?

NFPA 72 asks for the first check within 1 year after installation and then every alternate year. After the second required test, if the readings show the detectors stayed within their listed and marked range, the interval may be extended to a maximum of 5 years. This applies in buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings, and reads the same in the 2019 and 2022 editions.

Is the annual smoke test the same as a sensitivity test?

No. The annual functional test puts smoke into the chamber and checks for an alarm (Table 14.4.3.2 item 17(7)). The sensitivity test checks that the detector is within its listed and marked range, using one of the methods in item 17(8). Both are required.

Which methods count?

Any one of these five: (1) calibrated test method; (2) manufacturer’s calibrated sensitivity test instrument; (3) listed control equipment arranged for the purpose; (4) detector/control unit arrangement that signals when sensitivity is outside the listed range; (5) other calibrated method approved by the ahj. A device that puts an unmeasured amount of smoke or aerosol into the detector cannot be used to measure sensitivity (14.4.4.3.6).

What if a detector is outside its range?

Clean and recalibrate it, or replace it. A detector listed as field adjustable may instead be adjusted back within its listed and marked range (14.4.4.3.4–.5). A replaced detector is a new installation, so its own first check is due within a year.

What changed in 2022?

The schedule did not change. The 2019 text of 14.4.4.3.3 said «(or 4 percent obscuration light gray smoke, if not marked)»; the 2022 edition removed that, leaving only the listed and marked range. The 2022 table also renamed the row from «single-criteria smoke detectors» to «smoke detectors», so multi-criteria detectors that can be tested by one of the methods fall under it.

Source: NFPA 72 14.4.4.3 and Table 14.4.3.2 item 17(8), as printed in the base text of NFPA’s First Draft Reports for the 2022 and 2025 editions, which reproduce the 2019 and 2022 wording. Read on October 6, 2026. Summarized in our words; check your copy and your authority having jurisdiction.

The rest of the visit

Record the annual functional tests on the free inspection and testing form, and see what else is due this year in the frequency planner.