Elevator Field Guide

What this guide is

Three code books, three jobs. This chapter explains what each one is for and where to look when a question comes up.

An elevator is governed by more than one document, and they don't all do the same thing. Knowing which book answers which question saves a lot of arguing on the job.

This guide is written for two readers at once: the mechanic asking "what do I check?" and the building or facilities manager asking "what does this cost me if I get it wrong?"

1. The three books

B44 / A17.1 — how the equipment must be built and kept. This is the safety code (in full, A17.1ASME A17.1 — the U.S. Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. Companion to CSA B44.-2016 / CSACSA — Canadian Standards Association; publisher of B44 (the Canadian elevator code), C22.1 (the Canadian Electrical Code), and many other Canadian standards. B44-16). Part 2 (electric elevators) and Part 3 (hydraulic elevators) are the design-and-construction parts — what the machine, the hoistway, the pit and all the clearances must physically be (marked 🔵). When someone says "the runby has to be at least six inches," they're quoting this book. Part 8 is the upkeep part — maintenance, inspection, alteration and testing over the unit's service life (marked 🟣). (ASME A17.1 and CSA B44 were harmonized in 2000 and, since the 2007 edition, have been published as one combined book — that's why you'll see it written "ASME A17.1 / CSA B44".)

A17.2 — how an inspector checks it. This is the Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks (A17.2ASME A17.2 — the Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks. Companion to A17.1. Tells inspectors HOW to verify each rule.-2017). It does not set new rules. It walks an inspector through how to verify each rule in A17.1/B44: what to measure, where to stand, what to operate. In this guide, every note drawn from it is marked 🟢.

A17.3 — the minimum an older elevator must still meet. This is the Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators (A17.3ASME A17.3 — the Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators. Sets the minimum retroactive safety level older units must still meet.-2008). Older units were built to whatever code was current the year they went in, so A17.3 sets a retroactive floor — the baseline safety level every existing unit must reach regardless of its age. Its numbers are sometimes looser than the current construction code, and where they differ we flag it as an Older units note.

The guide also points you to the external standards (NFPA 70, CSA C22.1, ANSI Z97.1 and others) that the code refers to but doesn't reproduce — those are marked 🟠.

2. How they fit together

A useful way to hold it in your head:

• A17.1 / B44 says what the elevator must be.
• A17.2 says how someone proves it still is.
• A17.3 says what an old one must never fall below.

When a new unit is designed and installed, it is measured against A17.1/B44. When any unit, new or old, is inspected, the inspector follows A17.2. When the unit is decades old and the question is "does this grandfathered elevator still pass," the answer lives in A17.3.

Heads up — what the colours mean Citations are colour-coded so you can see at a glance what kind of pointer you're following.

• 🔵 a rule inside Part 2 or Part 3 of A17.1 / B44 — e.g. "see 2.13.4.2.3"
• 🟣 Part 8 — maintenance, inspection, alteration and type tests
• 🟠 a standard outside the A17 series — e.g. CSACSA — Canadian Standards Association; publisher of B44 (the Canadian elevator code), C22.1 (the Canadian Electrical Code), and many other Canadian standards. C22.1CSA C22.1 — the Canadian Electrical Code. Referenced for electrical work on the unit (in Canada)., NFPA 70
• 🟢 A17.2 — how an inspector verifies the rule

Three things worth knowing before we go further

• "It's grandfathered" is not always true. Some rules reach back through 🟣 Part 8.7 (Alterations). Covered in Chapter 15.
• The books are updated on cycles that aren't synced. This guide is built on A17.1-2016 / B44-16 and A17.2-2017. Newer editions exist and your jurisdiction may not have adopted them.
• Hydraulic units follow Part 2 unless Part 3 says otherwise. That's the single most common reason someone can't find a rule.

3. How the source code is laid out

Part 2 — Electric Elevators. Twenty-nine sections, 2.1 through 2.29, running roughly in build order: the hoistway and pit, then the machine room, the doors, the car, the safeties, the ropes and buffers, the machine and brake, the controls, and emergency operation.

Part 3 — Hydraulic Elevators. Not a second rulebook. Part 3 covers only what changes when the car is pushed up on a fluid-filled jack instead of hung from ropes. Unless a section is modified in Part 3, the corresponding Part 2 rule applies — 3.1 through 3.16 mostly just point back to Part 2.

That's the shortcut: look the rule up in Part 2 first, then check whether Part 3 changes it.

4. Where each topic lives — quick map

How one chapter is built — Chapter 2 as the worked example

Each chapter follows the same pattern: the build rule from B44, a 🟢 note on how an inspector checks it, and an Older units note where A17.3 differs.

The matching floor for older units is Part II of A17.3, Sections 2.1 through 2.5.

How the search bar works

There's a search box at the top of every page, and it does three things.

Ask it a question the way you'd say it out loud. Type "what is the maximum force a door can close with" and you get a plain-English answer, with the clause it came from printed underneath so you can check it or quote it.

Type a rule number on its own and it takes you straight there. If an inspection report says 2.13.4.2.3, type that and nothing else, and the guide jumps to it.

It knows the words people actually use on the job. Ask about a hall door and it finds the hoistway door. You don't have to know the code's name for something to find it.

For Mechanics

What this means on the job. Part 2 is what an inspector is checking against. If you hear "the door force is over thirty pounds," they're looking at 2.13.4.2.3 — 135 N (30 lbf) on the leading edge, measured between one-third and two-thirds of travel. If you hear "the restrictor is out," that's 2.14.5.7.1 — the car door must not open more than 100 mm (4 in.) from inside the car when it's outside the unlocking zone.

On a hydraulic job, look the rule up in Part 2 first, then check Part 3 for what changes. Most of Part 3 just points back.

Don't try to memorise Part 2. Learn the layout so you can find any rule in under a minute.

Critical reminder. A lot of what you'll actually do day to day lives in 🟣 Part 8, not Part 2: replacing parts, periodic tests, maintenance intervals. Part 2 tells you what the unit must be. Part 8 tells you what you must do to keep it that way.

Quick-find cheat sheet

For Building Managers

What this means for your building. Part 2 is the safety standard your elevators were designed and installed to meet. Canadian provinces adopt B44 through their elevator safety regulations, and most U.S. states either adopt A17.1 directly or reference it through their building code. Check with your regulatory authorityRegulatory authority — the body with legal power to enforce the code in your jurisdiction. The code calls it 'AHJ.' See Appendix A. which edition applies where you are. That determines your legal baseline.

When a contractor's inspection report cites a section like "2.13.4.2.3", that's a specific clause. This guide translates those numbers into plain English so you can have a real conversation about what's being flagged.

You don't need to read the code. You need to know enough to:

• read an inspection report and tell what's serious from what's cosmetic
• ask your contractor the right questions
• spot when something a tenant reports is a code issue
• sign off on alteration work knowing what it triggers

Sources. ASMEASME — American Society of Mechanical Engineers; publisher of the A17 elevator and escalator safety code series. A17.1-2016 / CSA B44-16, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, Parts 2, 3 and 8. ASME A17.2-2017, Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks. ASME A17.3-2008, Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators. All section numbers in this guide refer to these editions.