How often do fire extinguishers need to be inspected?
Monthly for the visual inspection and yearly for maintenance, under 29 CFR 1910.157(e). OSHA has declined to relax the monthly inspection to quarterly, calling the monthly frequency explicit and reasonable.
OSHA defines an inspection as “a visual check of fire protection systems and equipment to ensure that they are in place, charged, and ready for use in the event of a fire” (1910.155(c)(27)). The rule itself is short:
“Portable extinguishers or hose used in lieu thereof shall be visually inspected monthly.” 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2)
NFPA 10, the National Fire Protection Association’s standard for portable fire extinguishers, has long set the same roughly 30-day rhythm, and the current edition is NFPA 10-2026. Your local fire marshal enforces the fire code, so check which edition applies where you are.
The rest of the OSHA rule shapes the inspection. Extinguishers must be mounted, located and identified so they’re readily accessible (1910.157(c)(1)) and kept fully charged and in their designated places (c)(4). For Class A hazards, no employee should have to travel more than 75 feet to reach one, and for Class B hazards no more than 50 feet (1910.157(d)). Employers who expect employees to use extinguishers must train them when they’re hired and at least once a year after (1910.157(g)).
There’s one exception: an employer with a written emergency action plan and fire prevention plan that calls for everyone to evacuate, and with no extinguishers in the workplace, is exempt from the section. If extinguishers are present but not meant for employee use, the inspection, maintenance and testing rules still apply.
The monthly fire extinguisher inspection checklist
A monthly inspection takes about a minute per extinguisher: confirm it’s where it belongs, charged, sealed, undamaged and tagged. These are AED Log’s default checks, which also appear on our free checklist.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Pressure gauge reads in the green zone | On stored-pressure extinguishers, the needle sits in the green operable range, not in the recharge or overcharged zone. |
| Pin and tamper seal intact | The pull pin is in place and the tamper seal isn’t broken or missing, so you know the extinguisher hasn’t been discharged. |
| Accessible and unobstructed | The extinguisher is in its designated place, mounted and visible, with nothing stacked in front of it. |
| No visible damage or corrosion | The shell, hose and nozzle show no dents, rust, cracks, leaks or blockages, and the operating instructions on the label are legible and facing out. |
| Inspection tag updated | The tag on the extinguisher is initialed and dated for this month. |
If any check fails, take the extinguisher out of service, put an equivalent one in its place (1910.157(e)(5) requires alternate protection while an extinguisher is away for service), and call your service company. Print the free fire extinguisher inspection checklist and log to record the checks on paper.
Annual fire extinguisher maintenance
Once a year, every portable extinguisher gets a maintenance check, and the employer records the date and keeps the record for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less (1910.157(e)(3)).
Stored-pressure extinguishers don’t need an internal examination at the annual check. But stored-pressure dry chemical extinguishers that need a 12-year hydrostatic test must be emptied and maintained every 6 years, except non-refillable disposable units, and the 6-year clock restarts whenever the extinguisher is recharged or tested (1910.157(e)(4)).
Most employers hire a fire equipment service company for the annual maintenance. OSHA doesn’t require the company to certify anything to OSHA: the employer remains responsible for making sure the work is done and recorded.
Hydrostatic testing intervals
A hydrostatic test pressure-tests the extinguisher’s shell. It’s due every 5 years for water, foam, carbon dioxide and stainless steel dry chemical units, and every 12 years for stored-pressure dry chemical units with mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum shells.
| Extinguisher type | Test interval |
|---|---|
| Stored-pressure water and/or antifreeze | 5 years |
| Wetting agent | 5 years |
| Foam (stainless steel shell) | 5 years |
| Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) | 5 years |
| Loaded stream | 5 years |
| Dry chemical with stainless steel shell | 5 years |
| Carbon dioxide | 5 years |
| Dry chemical, stored pressure, with mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum shell | 12 years |
| Dry chemical, cartridge or cylinder operated, with mild steel shell | 12 years |
| Halon 1211 and Halon 1301 | 12 years |
| Dry powder, cartridge or cylinder operated, with mild steel shell | 12 years |
Carbon dioxide extinguishers, and the nitrogen or carbon dioxide cylinders on wheeled units, are tested every 5 years at five-thirds of their service pressure. Each test is recorded with the date, the signature of the person who did it and the extinguisher’s serial number, and the record is kept until the next test or until the extinguisher is taken out of service (1910.157(f)).
How to inspect a fire extinguisher
Walk your route with the checklist, look at each extinguisher in turn, record what you found, and deal with any failure the same day.
- Find it. Is it in its designated place, mounted, visible and easy to reach?
- Read the gauge. On a stored-pressure extinguisher, the needle should be in the green.
- Check the pin and seal. Both in place means it hasn’t been used.
- Look it over. Check the shell, hose and nozzle for dents, rust, cracks, leaks or blockages, and make sure the label is legible.
- Check the dates. Is the annual maintenance current, and is a 6-year maintenance or hydrostatic test coming due?
- Record it. Initial and date the tag, and write it in your log or app.
Fire extinguisher inspection tags
An inspection tag hangs on each extinguisher and shows when it was last checked and serviced. OSHA requires a record of the annual maintenance; for the monthly checks, a dated, initialed tag or an electronic record shows each one was done.
Service companies usually attach their own tag at the annual maintenance, with spaces for the monthly checks. For your own monthly checks, print our free fire extinguisher inspection tag, with a year of rows for the date and initials. AED Log’s monthly checklist ends with “Inspection tag updated”, and the inspection itself is saved with a timestamp and the inspector’s name, so the digital record backs up the tag.
What a fire extinguisher inspection costs
The monthly inspection costs only staff time, since it’s a visual check most employers do themselves. Annual maintenance and hydrostatic tests are usually done by a fire equipment service company, and prices vary by region and extinguisher type, so get quotes from local providers.
We don’t publish typical service prices because they vary widely and we couldn’t verify them from a primary source. What you can control is the monthly work: tracking it in AED Log costs $6 per extinguisher per year, on top of an AED plan, and it tracks each extinguisher’s service and hydrostatic test due dates alongside the monthly checks. See fire extinguisher inspection software.
Fire extinguisher inspection FAQ
How often do fire extinguishers need to be inspected?
OSHA requires a monthly visual inspection and an annual maintenance check of portable extinguishers (29 CFR 1910.157). AED Log schedules the monthly check and tracks the service and hydrostatic test due dates.
What is annual fire extinguisher maintenance?
Once a year each portable extinguisher gets a maintenance check, and the date is recorded and kept for a year after the last entry or the life of the shell (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3)). It's usually done by a fire equipment service company.
How often do fire extinguishers need a hydrostatic test?
Every 5 or 12 years, depending on the type. Water, carbon dioxide and stainless steel dry chemical units are tested every 5 years; stored-pressure dry chemical units with mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum shells every 12 years (29 CFR 1910.157(f)).
Can employees do the monthly fire extinguisher inspection?
Yes. OSHA's monthly inspection is a visual check that each extinguisher is in place, charged and ready, which trained employees commonly do. Annual maintenance and hydrostatic tests are usually done by a fire equipment service company.
Is there a fire extinguisher inspection app?
AED Log is a web app: inspectors open it in the browser on any phone, with nothing to install. They scan the extinguisher's QR label, answer the monthly checks, and the record is saved with a timestamp.