Each elevator and conveyance on campus is required by the State of California to undergo an annual inspection. To ensure inspections are completed in a timely and efficient manner, UCLA contracts with a state-approved third-party inspection agency to perform these inspections on behalf of the campus.

Key points of the inspection process include:

• Inspections may be requested no earlier than one month prior to a permit’s expiration date.
• The third-party inspector conducts a comprehensive inspection to verify compliance with all applicable state codes and safety standards.
• Upon completion, the inspector submits their findings directly to the State of California for review.

After the inspection is completed:

• The State of California reviews the inspection documentation.
• Based on the findings, the State may:
  • Issue a new operating permit (valid for one year)
  • Issue a Corrective Action or Order to Comply if deficiencies are identified.

The timeframe between inspection and permit issuance can vary:

• Permit processing may take up to three months for a new permit, and
• In some cases, up to four months depending on state review timelines.

Once the permit is received, it is the responsibility of the UCLA Facilities Management Elevator Shop to install the permit inside the elevator cab, in accordance with State requirements and the permit is install during the next visit for preventative maintenance.

An elevator may remain operational while displaying a permit that has technically expired. This situation does not indicate that the elevator is unsafe.

An expired permit typically means one of the following:

• The annual inspection has already occurred and been approved, but the State-issued permit has not yet been received, or
• The permit has been issued but has not yet been physically installed inside the cab.

This process is comparable to vehicle registration tags—an expired tag does not inherently mean a vehicle is unsafe to operate.

UCLA Facilities Management employs approximately 16 State-certified elevator mechanics, all of whom are licensed by the State of California to perform elevator maintenance, repairs, maintenance, and testing.

Additional safety measures include:

• Preventive maintenance inspections performed monthly or quarterly, depending on the type of conveyance.
• Continuous monitoring of elevator performance and condition.
• Immediate response to reported issues.

If at any point an elevator is found to present a safety concern, the third-party inspector has the authority to require the elevator be removed from service immediately (commonly referred to as a “red tag”).
This occurrence is extremely rare, largely due to UCLA’s robust preventive maintenance program and ongoing oversight.

UCLA Facilities Management works diligently to ensure that:

• All elevators are inspected on schedule,
• Permits are posted as soon as possible after they are issued by the State, and
• Elevators remain safe, reliable, and code-compliant at all times.

While administrative permitting timelines are not fully within UCLA’s control, safety is never compromised. Any elevator that does not meet safety requirements is promptly taken out of service until the issue is fully resolved.

If you have questions about elevator operations, inspections, or outages, please contact UCLA Facilities Management or refer to the Elevator Outages & Status section of our website for the most up-to-date information.