Van Nuys Restaurant Sprinkler Inspections

What a restaurant sprinkler inspection covers in Van Nuys

Van Nuys is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. That puts restaurants here under the Los Angeles Fire Department. County fire doesn't cover it.

The inspection schedule comes from NFPA 25, and California's Title 19 adds a five-year service and certification that only a State Fire Marshal licensed contractor may perform. Here is how the calendar works:

• Quarterly: a visual check of gauges, control valves and alarm devices.
• Annual: a full inspection and test of the system, covering the parts a quarterly visit only looks at.
• Every five years: an internal pipe assessment, gauge replacement or testing, and the Title 19 five-year certification, which are usually done together.
• At 50 years: sprinkler heads must be replaced or sample-tested.

Kitchens are hard on heads. Grease and heat build up near the cooking line, so the technician looks closely there.

Restaurant sprinkler testing, step by step

Inspection is looking. Testing makes the system work. On an annual visit the technician usually opens the inspector's test valve to prove water flows and the alarm sounds, runs a main drain test to compare supply pressure with earlier results, and checks that control valves are open and secured.

Some tests set off a brief alarm. Plan the visit before opening or after close if you can. If a test fails, or a head is painted, loaded with grease or damaged, the technician writes it up and we quote the fix; our restaurant sprinkler repair page for Van Nuys covers that work.

The hood system is a separate inspection

Your hood suppression system isn't part of the sprinkler inspection. Under NFPA 96 and NFPA 17A it is inspected every six months, and its metal fusible links are replaced at least that often, by a separate contractor who services cooking suppression systems. Ask them about UL 300. Pre-engineered wet chemical systems are tested to that standard, and older dry chemical systems don't meet it.

A kitchen with a hood system also needs a Class K extinguisher. We service those. See fire extinguisher annual certification in Van Nuys.

Records, LAFD and who does the work

Keep every inspection report and your five-year certification on file. When a fire inspector asks how the sprinklers have been maintained, that paper trail is your answer, and a missing five-year certification is hard to explain after the fact.

What does LAFD check at a restaurant? Ask the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau Valley Public Safety Unit at 818-374-1110, which handles Fire and Life Safety Inspection Clearances and plan check questions for Van Nuys. For new or remodeled spaces, plan check and clearance requests go through the FIMS Customer Portal at inspect.lafd.org. LAFD's site lists the 2023 Los Angeles Fire Code. Confirm the current edition with them.

Our California work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection. Hedrick holds C-16 and C-10 contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems (including the five-year certification) and for portable extinguisher service.

To book, call (213) 568-0188 or email socal@1profire.com

More for Van Nuys properties: our Van Nuys fire protection hub, fire sprinkler service in Van Nuys for non-restaurant buildings, and restaurant sprinkler inspections across Los Angeles County if you run more than one location.

Common questions

How often does a restaurant sprinkler system need inspection?

Quarterly and annually under NFPA 25. California adds a five-year service and certification under Title 19.

Is the hood system checked during the sprinkler inspection?

No. Hood suppression has its own six-month inspection by a cooking suppression contractor.

Will a sprinkler test set off our alarm?

Often, briefly. The flow test is meant to prove the alarm works, so schedule it for a slow hour and tell your alarm monitoring company before the technician opens the valve.

Do we need a separate extinguisher for the kitchen?

Yes. A kitchen with a cooking suppression system also needs a Class K portable extinguisher, and that unit has its own annual maintenance and a five-year hydrostatic test.

Who do I ask about LAFD requirements for my restaurant?

The LAFD Valley Public Safety Unit, at 818-374-1110.