Annual Lift Inspection Checklist (India): What the Yearly Service Should Cover — The complete checklist of what the annual professional service and statutory inspection should cover — so you can hold your technician or AMC to it.

A licensed lift technician opening the controller panel of a home elevator to begin the annual service, clipboard and tools in hand

Once a year, your home lift gets a deeper look than any of the monthly preventive visits. The annual service is where the technician actually tests the safety systems — drops the car onto the safety gear, load-tests the rescue battery, checks rope and brake wear — rather than just lubricating and adjusting. And in the roughly ten Indian states that have a Lift Act, there is a second, separate annual event: a government inspector signs off the lift and issues a renewal certificate before you may legally keep operating it.

This guide is the checklist of what that yearly service and statutory inspection should cover, written so that you, the owner, can hold the technician or AMC provider to it. It is not a do-it-yourself job. Everything below happens inside the shaft, the controller, the brake or the machine — that is licensed-technician territory. Your job is to be present, to ask the right questions, to read the report, and to make sure the logbook gets signed.

Safety rule (state it to yourself before every visit): a homeowner does routine cleaning and visual checks outside the shaft. Anything inside the shaft, the controller, the brake, the ropes or the door interlock is a licensed technician's job — and a safety device must never be bypassed to "make the lift work." If a technician offers to defeat an interlock, that is a red flag.

For the lighter, between-services routine you can do yourself, see the monthly home lift maintenance checklist. For how all of this fits together across the year, see the home lift maintenance guide.

Two different "annual inspections" — don't confuse them

People say "annual inspection" to mean two quite different things. You may need one, the other, or both.

	Annual service inspection	Statutory annual inspection
Who does it	Your lift service company / AMC technician (licensed)	A government Lift Inspector (State Electrical / Lift Inspectorate)
Why	Preventive maintenance — your safety + uptime	Legal compliance under the state Lift Act
Where required	Everywhere — it is best practice and your AMC obligation	Only in states that have a Lift Act (~10 states)
Output	A service report + signed logbook entry	A renewal of your licence to operate + inspection certificate
Frequency	At least once a year (usually part of ~12 visits/yr)	Typically annual; some states differ — confirm locally
You pay	Inside your AMC, or per-visit	A statutory inspection fee to the state

The service inspection keeps the lift safe and running. The statutory inspection keeps it legal. The cleanest arrangement is to have your AMC do its full annual service first, fix anything it finds, and then present a healthy lift to the government inspector — so the certificate renews without drama.

Side-by-side comparison: on the left a service-company technician with a toolbox doing preventive maintenance; on the right a government inspector with a clipboard issuing a certificate — two separate annual events

When the state Lift Act applies to you

Lifts are state-regulated in India. Roughly ten states issue lift licences and mandate periodic inspection — including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Acts such as the Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Act, 2017, the Karnataka Lifts, Escalators and Passenger Conveyors Act, 2015, the Delhi Lifts and Escalators Act, 2007 and the Tamil Nadu Lifts Act, 1997 typically require an installation licence before commissioning, an operation licence or registration, and a periodic safety inspection by a government-appointed inspector to renew that licence.

In states without a Lift Act, no statutory inspection or registration may be mandated — but IS 14665 and NBC 2016 remain the right benchmark, and your annual service inspection still matters just as much.

Indicative — confirm locally. Which states have an Act, the inspection interval, and the fees all change. Verify against your own state's Lift Act, your local municipal bye-laws and a licensed lift contractor before you assume. (The official Maharashtra "licence to operate lift" service portal is linked in the references.)

The annual service inspection checklist

This is the heart of the guide: what a thorough annual professional service should cover. Print it, keep it with your logbook, and tick alongside the technician's report. It is grouped the way a competent technician actually works through the lift — safety systems first, because those are the parts that save a life if something else fails.

The "☐" boxes are for the technician's findings, not for you to action. Your role is to confirm each line was checked and to ask "what did you find, and what did you do about it?"

A. Safety systems — the life-safety tests (the priority)

☐	Item	What the technician should do	Why it matters
☐	Overspeed governor	Inspect, clean, check the trip mechanism and that the calibration/seal is intact	It triggers the safety gear if the car over-speeds
☐	Safety gear (car drop test)	Actuate the safety gear so it grips the guide rails and arrests the car	This is the device that stops a falling car — it must be proven, not assumed
☐	Buffers (pit)	Inspect car and counterweight buffers; check oil level on oil buffers, no cracks/corrosion	Cushions the car at the bottom of travel
☐	Door interlocks	Verify the lift cannot move with any landing door open, and a door cannot open off-floor	The single most important everyday safety device — never to be defeated
☐	Final limit + over-travel switches	Test top and bottom limit switches and final limits stop the car	Prevents the car running past the ends of the shaft
☐	ARD / rescue battery — load test	Simulate a power cut: confirm the car moves to the nearest floor and opens the doors, then load-test the battery	In India's outages, this is what gets people out — see below
☐	Emergency alarm + intercom	Confirm the alarm bell and two-way intercom/phone work from inside the car	A trapped occupant must be able to call for help
☐	Overload sensor	Verify the car refuses to move and warns when overloaded	Protects ropes, brake and occupants
☐	Fireman's switch (if fitted)	Test recall-to-ground operation	Required on taller installations; verify if present

B. Machine and drive

☐	Item	What the technician should do

| ☐ | Brake | Inspect lining wear, check clearance/adjustment, test holding under load, clean |

| ☐ | Suspension ropes / belts | Inspect for wear, broken wires, stretch, corrosion, correct tension; condemn/replace if past limits |

| ☐ | Traction sheave / drive | Check groove wear, alignment, bearing condition |

| ☐ | Motor | Check temperature, vibration, bearings, electrical connections |

| ☐ | Hydraulic system (hydraulic lifts) | Check oil level and condition, ram/cylinder for leaks, valve operation, packing seals |

| ☐ | Gearbox / oil (geared) | Check oil level and condition, top up or change per schedule |

C. Doors (the #1 source of stoppages)

☐	Item	What the technician should do
☐	Door operator	Service the motor/mechanism; check opening/closing speed and force
☐	Sill / bottom tracks	Deep-clean grooves; check the lock arm seats; check for wear
☐	Sensors / light curtain	Clean and align the infrared eyes; confirm the door reopens on obstruction
☐	Rollers, belts, hangers	Inspect for wear; replace noisy/worn rollers; re-tension belts
☐	Alignment	Correct any drift so doors close cleanly and the interlock seats every time

More than 70% of lift stoppages are door-related, so this section earns its space. For symptoms you might notice between services, see lift door problems and fixes and how doors differ in lift door types explained.

D. Car and guide rails

☐	Item	What the technician should do
☐	Guide shoes / rollers	Inspect wear, replace if needed, confirm smooth ride
☐	Guide rails	Inspect alignment and fixings; clean and lubricate (or wipe, for roller-guide systems)
☐	Levelling accuracy	Confirm the car stops flush with each landing within tolerance
☐	Cabin fixtures	Check COP buttons, lighting, fan, position indicator, handrails, mirror

E. Electrical and controls

☐	Item	What the technician should do
☐	Controller diagnostics	Read the fault log/error history; clear, test and confirm normal operation
☐	PCB / control panel cleanliness	Blow out / clean dust off boards — a leading cause of "phantom" faults in India
☐	Earthing	Test earth continuity and resistance
☐	MCB / RCBO / isolator	Test the main isolator and protective devices trip correctly
☐	Voltage / stabiliser	Confirm supply is within range; check the stabiliser if fitted (surges cause ~65% of phantom faults)
☐	Wiring / connections	Inspect for loose terminals, heating, rodent damage

F. Pit, shaft and housekeeping

☐	Item	What the technician should do
☐	Pit	Confirm it is dry and clean; check the dewatering pump if fitted (critical before monsoon)
☐	Shaft / ventilation	Check the well is clear, lit, ventilated, no water ingress
☐	Lubrication	Lubricate all designated points per IS 14665 Part 2 schedule
☐	Signage / instructions	Confirm load plate, emergency instructions and licence display are present and legible
☐	Logbook	Record the visit, findings, parts changed, and sign — see below

Cutaway of a home-lift shaft with numbered call-outs to every component the annual service touches: governor at the top, sheave/brake, ropes, car with guide shoes, door operator and sill, controller, ARD battery, pit buffers and dewatering pump

The ARD battery load-test — don't let it be skipped

The most commonly under-done line on this list is the ARD (Automatic Rescue Device) battery load-test. A quick "press the test button, the car moves" check is not a load-test. Batteries — sealed lead-acid SMF, increasingly lithium — fade over roughly 3–5 years, and a battery can pass a no-load button-test yet fail to carry a loaded car to the next floor. Insist the technician load-tests the battery at the annual service and replaces the set on schedule rather than waiting for total failure. This is exactly what gets people out during a power cut. For the upkeep detail see lift battery backup maintenance; for the hardware itself, battery backup systems for elevators.

After the inspection: the report, the certificate and the logbook

A proper annual visit produces paper. Make sure you receive and file it.

Service report — what was inspected, what was found, what was replaced or adjusted, and any parts flagged for future replacement (ropes near wear limit, ageing battery, brake lining). This is your early warning for budgeting.
Signed logbook entry — date, technician name, work done. A continuous logbook is your maintenance history; it protects resale value and is exactly what a statutory inspector wants to see.
Statutory certificate (Lift-Act states) — the renewed licence to operate. Keep it displayed and filed. Without it you may be operating the lift illegally.

A lift logbook page being signed after the annual service, alongside the framed statutory licence-to-operate certificate displayed near the lift — showing the paper trail an owner should keep

Keep every annual report. When you reach roughly year 20 and components start aging out, this history is exactly what your service company will use to advise modernisation versus replacement.

How this connects to your AMC

Your Annual Maintenance Contract is what should deliver this annual inspection — typically as one deeper visit among about 12 preventive visits a year, plus breakdown response. When you renew or sign an AMC, ask the provider to confirm the annual service covers the safety-system tests in section A above, not just lubrication and door adjustment. A non-comprehensive AMC may bill major parts (ropes, motor, controller, battery) separately, so read the fine print. The operational side — what each visit covers, the SLA, the logbook discipline — is in the lift AMC guide; for scoring and comparing providers, the lift AMC evaluation guide.

Decision flow: did the annual service test every section A safety item? If yes and the report is clean, file it and present the lift to the statutory inspector; if findings exist, fix them first, then re-present — with branches for ARD load-test and door interlock

What stays your job — and what never is

To keep the boundary crisp:

Owner does (no tools, outside the shaft)	Licensed technician only
Be present at the annual visit; ask what was found	All shaft, pit, controller, brake, rope work
Read the report; file it; keep the logbook signed	Safety-gear drop test, governor, buffers
Keep the car, sills and sensors clean between visits	ARD battery load-test and replacement
Confirm the alarm/intercom and light work	Door interlock, operator, alignment
Renew the AMC before it lapses; arrange the statutory inspection	Any work on a safety device — never defeated

If a fault appears between services, do not force anything: use the alarm/intercom if someone is inside, switch the lift off at the main isolator if it behaves erratically, and call the technician. See common home lift problems and solutions and lift noise troubleshooting.

Costs

Annual service is usually bundled into your AMC; the statutory inspection carries a separate state fee. Figures vary widely by state, vendor and lift type, so treat any number as indicative — confirm with your technician and your state inspectorate. For benchmarks see the home lift cost guide (India 2026).

Related guides

Home lift maintenance guide (India) — the full picture
Monthly home lift maintenance checklist — what you do between services
Lift AMC guide (India) and AMC evaluation guide
Lift battery backup maintenance
Lift door problems and elevator safety components explained
Emergency rescue systems for home lifts
When to replace your home lift and home lift modernization
Residential elevator buyer's guide (India) — the pillar

References

IS 14665 (Electric Traction Lifts), BIS — Part 2 is the Code of practice for installation, operation and maintenance; Part 5 is the Inspection manual. IS 14665 Part 1: https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/S05/is.14665.1.2000.pdf — IS 14665 Part 2 (maintenance): https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/S05/is.14665.2.1-2.2000.pdf
IS 15259 — Hydraulic lifts (companion code) — by name.
IS 17900 / EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 — lift safety and test-and-examination methods — by name.
National Building Code of India 2016, Part 8 (Building Services), Section 5 — Installation of Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks: https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/technical-department/national-building-code/ — Guide for Using NBC 2016: https://www.bis.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Booklet-Guide-for-Using-NBC-2016.pdf
State Lift Acts — Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Act 2017; Karnataka Lifts, Escalators and Passenger Conveyors Act 2015; Delhi Lifts and Escalators Act 2007; Tamil Nadu Lifts Act 1997. Maharashtra licence-to-operate-lift service portal: https://services.india.gov.in/service/detail/maharashtra-license-to-operate-lift
Lift regulations overview (India) — 99acres: https://www.99acres.com/articles/know-all-about-the-lift-regulations-in-india.html
Maintenance and longevity — TK Elevator (ensuring lift longevity): https://www.tkelevator.com/in-en/news/ensuring-lift-longevity.html — TK Elevator (modernization lifecycle and ROI): https://www.tkelevator.com/in-en/news/elevator-modernization-lifecycle-and-roi-considerations.html
Common home-lift problems — EFE: https://efepvtltd.com/blogs/what-are-the-common-problems-with-home-lifts/ — residential elevator lifespan (ShuttleSky): https://shuttlesky.in/residential-elevator-lifespan/

Standards and statutory requirements are indicative and change by state and year — confirm with your local municipal bye-laws, your state Lift Inspectorate and a licensed lift contractor.