Restaurant sprinkler inspection and testing · NFPA 25 · California Title 19
Which fire office covers your restaurant?
Start with your address. The Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, known as County Fire, covers every unincorporated area of the county plus 59 contract cities here, and its Fire Prevention Division runs annual business inspections through North, Central and East regional units. The City of Los Angeles is different. It has its own fire department, LAFD. Burbank runs its own fire prevention bureau too. If you aren't sure which group your address falls in, check whether your city contracts with County Fire or runs its own department before you book.
The code edition follows the agency. County Fire areas use Title 32, the County's amendments to the 2022 California Fire Code. Inside LA city limits, confirm the current edition with LAFD. Keep sprinkler paperwork current either way. For County Fire areas, start at the Los Angeles County Fire Department Fire Prevention Division.
What the technician does on site
On an annual visit, the technician typically does the following:
- opens the main drain and compares the pressure drop with past results
- operates waterflow alarm devices and confirms the signal goes through
- checks that control valves are open and sealed, locked or supervised
- looks at heads for paint, grease, corrosion, damage or blocked spray
- checks every gauge
- inspects the fire department connection
Quarterly visits are shorter. They cover gauges, alarm devices, control valves and the fire department connection, so a closed valve or a dead alarm switch turns up within a few months, long before the next annual test. Anything that fails goes on the report.
Ask for a visit time outside your lunch and dinner rush.
Grease, steam and sprinkler heads
Kitchens are hard on heads. Heads above cooking lines and dish stations collect grease and steam residue. A loaded head may open late. NFPA 25 calls for replacing heads that are loaded with grease or corroded, and the technician marks each one on the report so you know which heads near the line need to come out.
Your hood suppression system is a separate system on its own six-month schedule, so book it through our kitchen hood suppression service in Los Angeles County, and the Class K extinguisher that kitchen needs falls under fire extinguisher service.
Five-year certification and who may do it
Every five years, NFPA 25 adds an internal pipe assessment and gauge replacement or testing. California's Title 19 also requires a five-year service and certification by a contractor licensed by the State Fire Marshal. Who can do that? Our California work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection, which holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses and is licensed by the State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for water-based fire protection system service.
Then check your heads' age. Heads in service for 50 years must be replaced or sample-tested. The year is stamped on each head.
Book a visit
Call (213) 568-0188 or email socal@1profire.com. Send the restaurant's address, the city it sits in, your last sprinkler report if you have one, and any notice an inspector left you. We'll set a visit time from there.
After the visit, keep the report with your building records. If heads, valves or gauges need work, see restaurant sprinkler repair in Los Angeles County.
Nearby, see restaurant sprinkler inspections in Burbank, Glendale and Downey, or our fire sprinkler service page and the Los Angeles County fire protection hub.
Restaurant sprinkler questions
How often does a restaurant sprinkler system need inspection?
Quarterly and annually, under NFPA 25. Every five years there's an added service and certification under NFPA 25 and California Title 19.
Is my restaurant under County Fire?
Only if it's in an unincorporated area or a contract city. Inside Los Angeles city limits your fire agency is LAFD, and Burbank has its own fire prevention bureau, so confirm with the agency that covers your address.
Is the sprinkler inspection the same as the hood inspection?
No. The hood system is separate and is inspected every six months under NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A.
What if a head fails?
It goes on the report as a deficiency. Loaded or corroded heads get replaced.