Philadelphia buildings we work in

Philadelphia mixes high-rise office and residential towers, large hospital and university campuses, and nursing homes in older neighborhood buildings. Many have been renovated several times. Each renovation can leave a door with a painted-over label, a closer that no longer latches, or new cable pushed through a rated wall above the ceiling.

Who checks your building

The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) enforces the Fire Code and tracks damper certifications. Hospitals and nursing homes are also surveyed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and accredited hospitals by The Joint Commission. They all look at the same doors, dampers and walls, so one clean record serves every visit.

Philadelphia rules you should know

• Damper certification (Fire Code F-701.6.1). Fire, smoke and combination dampers in hospitals and similar I-2 buildings, special assembly buildings and high-rise buildings must be inspected after installation, then every 4 years (every 6 years in I-2 buildings).

• Who may test. The inspector must hold a Philadelphia sheet metal license and a Fire and Smoke Technician/Engineer or Smoke Control certification, and work for a licensed contractor.

• Filing. A licensed contractor files damper certifications through eCLIPSE, and the owner keeps a copy on the property. A failed damper has 90 days to be corrected before L&I issues a deficiency notice.

• Fire doors. The Philadelphia Fire Code is based on the 2018 International Fire Code, which requires opening protectives to be inspected and maintained to NFPA 80.

• New building codes. Philadelphia moved to the 2021 International Codes for construction on January 1, 2026.

For filing steps and deadlines, see our Philadelphia damper certification guide.

What a visit looks like

We plan around how city buildings run: freight elevator times, loading dock access and quiet hours on patient and resident floors. On site, we tag every rated door and damper, photograph it and record a pass or fail against the code. We carry common parts and fix small items on the first visit. Bigger fixes get a priced plan, riskiest first. Failed dampers are flagged with the 90-day correction window in mind, so repairs can be done before L&I issues a deficiency notice. We perform the damper inspection and testing, and coordinate the certification and eCLIPSE filing with a properly licensed and certified technician and contractor.

Services in Philadelphia

• Annual fire door inspection to NFPA 80

• Fire door repair and replacement for failed openings

• Fire door labeling arranged with a listing agency

• Fire and smoke damper inspection for F-701.6.1 certification

• Damper repair and replacement after a failed test

• Firestop inspection and above-ceiling survey above the ceiling

• Firestopping installation and repair with listed systems

Neighborhoods we serve

Center City, University City, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Manayunk and Roxborough, Germantown and Chestnut Hill, the Navy Yard.