NFPA 25 §4.3.2: The 5 Things Every Inspection Record Must Contain

A fire inspection record that's missing one required data point isn't a slightly-worse record. To the fire marshal reviewing it, it's an incomplete record — and incomplete records invite follow-up questions, re-inspections, and citations.

NFPA 25 §4.3.2 specifies what every inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) record must contain. Paraphrased, it comes down to five data points. Here they are, and why the AHJ cares about each one.

1. The procedure that was performed

Was it an inspection (a visual check), a test (operating the equipment and measuring results), or maintenance (work performed to keep it operating)? These are three different obligations in the standard with three different schedules. A record that just says "sprinkler service" doesn't tell the fire marshal whether your annual main drain test actually happened, or whether someone just looked at the riser.

Why the AHJ asks: inspectors verify each required procedure type against its required frequency. Vague records can't be matched to requirements, so they're treated as gaps.

2. The organization that performed it

The contractor's company name — or "in-house" if your own staff performed the work. Not just a technician's scribbled initials.

Why the AHJ asks: accountability. If a test result looks wrong, the marshal needs to know who to question. It also establishes whether the work was done by an outside firm or by building staff, which matters in jurisdictions that restrict who may perform certain procedures.

3. The required frequency

The record should state the interval the procedure satisfies: weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual, annual, 3-year, or 5-year.

Why the AHJ asks: a main drain test can satisfy an annual requirement; it can't satisfy a 5-year internal inspection. Recording the frequency ties the document to a specific obligation — and makes it obvious when the next one is due. (Not sure what's due at each interval? See the frequency chart guide.)

4. The results and the date

What was found — pass, fail, deficiencies noted — and when the procedure was performed. Results without dates are nearly worthless; the entire point of an ITM program is a dated trail showing intervals were met and problems were tracked to resolution.

Why the AHJ asks: dates prove the schedule was kept. Results prove deficiencies were caught and, when the marshal cross-checks later records, that they were actually corrected rather than re-reported every year.

5. The qualified person who did the work

The name of the individual who performed the procedure — and, where applicable, their license or certification. Many states and cities license fire protection technicians; the record should make qualification checkable.

Why the AHJ asks: NFPA 25 requires ITM work to be performed by qualified personnel. A record with no name, or a name with no way to verify qualification, is a soft spot the marshal is trained to probe.

Does your contractor's report have all five?

Pull the most recent inspection report your contractor sent you and check it against this list:

1. Does it state whether the visit was an inspection, a test, or maintenance?
2. Does it name the company that performed the work?
3. Does it state which required frequency the visit satisfies?
4. Does it show dated results for each item, not just an overall "OK"?
5. Does it name the technician, with a license or certification number?

Most contractor reports get three or four. The frequency and the technician's license are the usual casualties — and they're exactly the two the fire marshal uses to tie the paperwork to the standard.

The part nobody mentions: it's your record either way

§4.3.2 defines what the record must contain. Chapter 4 makes the owner — in practice, the property manager — responsible for keeping it and producing it for the AHJ. If your contractor's report is missing a data point, the incomplete record is yours.

Every PDF report FireCode 360 generates includes all five §4.3.2 data points automatically — procedure type, performing organization, frequency, dated itemized results, and the technician's name and license — plus timestamped photos. Your contractor fills in the fields; you own the finished record. Start a free trial or see how it works.

Plain-language paraphrase with section references only — not standard text. Verify requirements against the current edition of NFPA 25 and your AHJ. FireCode 360 is a record-keeping tool and does not certify code compliance.