Exit Sign and Emergency Light Testing in California
Battery-backed exit signs and emergency lights are generally tested monthly and annually. The monthly emergency light test is a functional check of at least 30 seconds on battery. The annual test runs the unit on battery for 90 minutes, and it must still be lit at the end. The building owner keeps written records for the fire authority.
Ask a building manager where the exit sign test log is, and you will often get a long pause. The signs are up and the lights are on, but no one wrote down that anyone tested the batteries, and that is the record an inspector asks to see. Emergency lighting only matters during a power failure, so a unit that looks fine can still fail the moment you need it. A routine emergency lighting check catches that before an outage or an inspection does.
The testing schedule
California fire authorities work from the California Fire Code and from NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, as adopted locally. For battery-powered emergency lighting, NFPA 101 calls for a functional test of at least 30 seconds at 30-day intervals and a test of 1.5 hours (90 minutes) once a year. Exit signs that have battery backup follow the same tests, and the illumination source on every sign gets a visual check each month. Some California cities publish their own guidance. For example, Moreno Valley’s fire department explains the monthly test as a button hold of at least 30 seconds, within a window of three to five weeks between tests, and an annual test that interrupts power to the unit and confirms it holds normal brightness for 90 minutes (Moreno Valley fire guidance).
| Test | How often | Duration | What you record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional test, emergency lights and battery-backed exit signs | Every 30 days | At least 30 seconds | Unit ID, date, pass or fail, tester |
| Visual check, exit signs and lamps | Monthly | Walk-through | Lit, visible, unobstructed, undamaged |
| Full-duration test | Once a year | 90 minutes | Unit ID, date, still lit at 90 minutes, tester |
| Generator-backed emergency lighting | Per NFPA 110, monthly under load | Per the generator standard | Run time, load, result |
Your local fire marshal is the authority having jurisdiction and decides which edition and which details apply to your building. If you are unsure, call the fire department that covers your address and ask what log format they expect.
How to test an emergency light each month
- Find every unit. Walk the whole space, including stairwells, back hallways, storage rooms, restrooms and the area outside exit doors. Number each unit on a floor plan so none gets skipped.
- Press and hold the test button. Most units have a test button or a key switch on the housing. This switches the unit to battery power, as if the building lost power.
- Watch the lamp. It should stay at full brightness for the whole 30 seconds. A dim lamp, a flicker or a lamp that goes out early means the unit needs service.
- Release and confirm. The charging indicator should come back on after you release the button. If it does not, the unit may have lost its power feed.
- Log it. Record the unit number, date, result and your name or initials, and note any failed unit for repair.
Some newer fixtures have self-testing or self-diagnostic electronics that run the monthly test automatically and show the result on an indicator. NFPA 101 allows those to stand in for the manual monthly test, but the annual 90-minute test still applies, and someone still needs to check the indicators and keep the records.
The annual 90-minute test
The annual test is the one most buildings skip, because it takes time. Every unit must run on battery for the full 90 minutes and still produce normal brightness at the end. A unit that fails partway through needs repair or replacement and then a retest. Pick a time when the space is empty or quiet, switch each unit to battery (or interrupt the circuit that feeds the units, if you can do that safely), and check each one at the 90-minute mark. A building with dozens of units can do this in zones so that part of the space always keeps normal light.
Plan for failures. Batteries wear with age, heat and the number of discharge cycles, and the annual test is where tired batteries show themselves. Keep replacement batteries and lamps for your unit models on hand, or know who can source them quickly, so a failed unit gets back into service the same day.
Exit light testing and inspection
An exit sign has two jobs: stay visible and stay lit. The monthly walk-through for exit signs checks that the sign is illuminated, that the lettering is legible and undamaged, that nothing blocks it from view and that it points the right way. Shelving, stacked boxes, hung banners and new partitions are the usual reasons a sign stops doing its job even when the lamp works. For battery-backed signs, run the 30-second and 90-minute tests with the rest of your emergency lighting. If you are changing out old signs, LED exit signs draw little power and the lamp rarely needs replacing, which cuts the monthly failures to battery problems. Our light fixture installation guide and the commercial lighting upgrade guide cover related replacements.
Exit paths connect to accessibility. Doors on an accessible route must open without excessive force, and our ADA storefront door requirements guide and door closer replacement cost guide cover that side of the exit route.
What failures look like
| What you see during the test | Likely cause | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Lamp dim, flickering or out as soon as you press the button | Worn-out battery | Replace the battery or the unit, then retest |
| Charging indicator off | No power feed, a tripped breaker or a failed charger | Check the circuit. If power is present, have the unit repaired |
| Lamp does not light at all on test | Dead battery, failed lamp or failed electronics | Replace the lamp or the unit |
| Passes 30 seconds but fails the 90-minute test | Weak battery that cannot hold a full load | Replace the battery and rerun the annual test |
| Sign is lit but hard to read, cracked or yellowed | Damaged face or aging lamp | Replace the sign |
| Sign is hidden behind shelving or stock | Obstruction | Move the item or relocate the sign |
| Unit stays dark after the building loses power | Any of the above, or it is wired to a switched circuit | Have an electrician check the feed |
A recurring theme is the power feed. An emergency light or exit sign should be connected to a circuit that stays on, so that it keeps charging its battery and so that the building’s normal lighting loss is what triggers the battery. If a unit fails to charge, a tripped breaker is worth checking. Our breaker tripping guide explains how to work out whether a trip is a one-off or a pattern.
Records inspectors ask for
Written records of inspections and tests are kept by the owner and must be available for the fire authority. Inspectors commonly ask to see the last twelve months. A log that lists each unit with the date, test type, result and tester is easy to produce and easy to defend. Keep it in a binder near the fire panel or in a shared drive, and note the repair when a unit fails, not only the failure. A simple log looks like this:
| Unit ID and location | Date | Test (30 sec or 90 min) | Result | Tester | Action taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-01, front entry | MM/DD/YYYY | 30 sec | Pass | Initials | None |
| E-07, rear hallway | MM/DD/YYYY | 30 sec | Fail, dim | Initials | Battery replaced, retest passed |
If you lease the space, the question of who owns the testing and the log depends on your lease. Our guide to commercial lease repairs in California explains how to read the relevant clauses, and the commercial maintenance budget guide helps you plan for the recurring cost.
Repair or replace
Swapping a battery or a lamp is a quick job. A unit with a dead charger, a damaged housing, a missing power feed or a broken circuit needs an electrician. Older units that fail often are usually better replaced, because the battery is often the cheapest part to replace and still the part that fails again soon after. We handle lighting repairs and replacements, including swapping an old sign for an LED one in the same visit, and details are on our commercial electrician page. For multi-site or retail buildings, our commercial and retail maintenance service and office maintenance guide show how recurring checks fit into a maintenance plan.
Cost
Our commercial rate in the Los Angeles area is $105 to $195 an hour, with a minimum charge of $110 to $210 and trip charges of $20 to $95. Work outside building hours is billed at 1.25 to 1.6 times the standard rate. We can send a certificate of insurance the same day if building management needs one, and we carry $2M general liability. The chart shows the published ranges, and the commercial rates and quotes guide explains how quotes are built.
FAQ
How often do emergency lights and exit signs need to be tested?
Under NFPA 101, battery-powered emergency lights and battery-backed exit signs get a functional test of at least 30 seconds every 30 days and a full test of 90 minutes once a year. Your local fire marshal confirms the exact requirement for your building.
How long should an emergency light stay on during the annual test?
Ninety minutes. The unit must still produce normal brightness at the end of that time. A unit that fades early has a worn battery and needs repair or replacement.
Do I have to keep records of exit sign and emergency light tests?
Yes. The owner keeps written records of inspections and tests and makes them available to the fire authority. Inspectors often ask for the last twelve months.
Can self-testing emergency lights replace manual testing?
Self-testing units can replace the manual monthly test if they show the result on an indicator that someone checks and records. The annual 90-minute test still applies.
Who is responsible for testing emergency lights in a leased space?
The lease decides. Life safety equipment in the building shell is generally the landlord’s, while fixtures inside a tenant suite may be the tenant’s. Confirm who keeps the test log so it exists when someone asks for it.
What do I do if an emergency light fails the test?
Replace the battery, lamp or unit, retest it, and note the repair in the log. If the unit has no power feed or the charger has failed, have an electrician check the circuit.
Need a walk-through test?
If you want a hand with a full walk-through, call 818-835-0556. Keep the log somewhere easy to find, because someone will ask for it. You can also read about our commercial handyman services in Los Angeles.
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