Guide
Buying or taking over a restaurant: checking the exhaust system history
A second-generation kitchen comes with a hood, a duct, a fan on the roof, a suppression system, and a grease interceptor you didn’t buy new and can’t see inside. The seller’s word that “it was cleaned last month” is worth very little. The paperwork, the tags, and the fire department’s own file tell you whether you’re inheriting a maintained system or a duct that hasn’t been opened in years.
Why this lands on you
NFPA 96 puts responsibility for inspection, testing, maintenance, and cleanliness of the ventilation control and fire protection on the owner of the system, unless it has been handed to a tenant, management company, or other party in writing. The 2024 edition adds that an equipment owner who isn’t the operator can delegate that duty through the lease or management contract, and its annex says the hood cleaner and the suppression contractor don’t take it on just by servicing the system. Read the lease before you assume the landlord handles it. See landlord vs tenant.
What to ask the seller or landlord for
| Document | What a good one shows | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Hood cleaning reports, last 2 years | Dates that match the interval for the cooking type; company name, address, phone; areas not cleaned and why; access panel locations; before and after photos | Gaps longer than the interval; “canopy only”; the same inaccessible section listed every visit |
| Current hood tag (label on the hood) | Provider name, address, phone, service date; old tags covered or removed (IFC 606.3.3.3.1). Under NFPA 96 (2024) the label stays on until the next inspection or cleaning | No tag, a tag older than the interval, or a stack of old tags |
| Suppression service reports, last 2 | Semi-annual service by a licensed contractor; fusible links replaced; system make and model; UL 300 listed | Dry chemical system; “system no longer supported”; red tag or deficiency notes |
| Fire inspection reports | Closed violations, passed reinspections | Open hood or suppression citations; the seller won’t share them |
| Grease interceptor pumping records | Regular pump-outs with hauler manifests; sewer utility permit or certificate current | No records; interceptor never inspected; the utility has open notices |
| Install permits and drawings | Mechanical permit for the hood and duct; suppression permit; as-built duct route | No permit history for a hood that was “added later” |
Get the fire department’s file, not just the seller’s
- Many fire departments release inspection reports as public records. The Orlando Fire Department, for example, lists fire inspection reports and commercial property reports among the records it processes on request.
- Some cities collect the vendor reports directly. Nashville Fire requires hood cleaning and suppression reports to be filed through Inspection Reports Online, and a property owner can register free and see every report filed for the location. See Nashville.
- A change of operator often brings a business license or occupancy inspection (Orlando and Denver both list them as fire department services), so expect an inspector to walk the kitchen soon after you take over. Anything open on the old file becomes your problem at that visit.
Pay for your own inspection before closing
- Book a hood cleaning company to inspect the full system: hood, filters, plenum, every reachable duct section, the fan, and grease containment on the roof (full-system vs canopy)
- Ask for photos of the duct interior and the fan bowl, plus a written list of inaccessible areas and missing access panels (missing access panels)
- Check the fan: hinged so it can tilt back for cleaning, grease containment in place, no grease on the roof membrane (rooftop grease containment)
- Look at the duct enclosure or fire wrap where the duct runs through the building, and whether there are access doors at every cleanout (fire wrap)
- Have a suppression contractor confirm the system make, model, and UL 300 listing, and whether the manufacturer still supports it
- Have the interceptor pumped and inspected; some sewer utilities inspect an existing interceptor before they approve a new food business at the address
If the duct hasn’t been cleaned in years, the first clean will cost more than a routine visit and may take more than one night. Get that quote before you agree on the price, not after. See what drives quote variance.
The suppression system: UL 300 and change triggers
NFPA 96 requires kitchen fire-extinguishing systems to comply with UL 300 (or an equivalent standard). An existing dry or wet chemical system that doesn’t comply has to be brought up to UL 300 when any of these happens: the cooking medium changes from animal fats to vegetable oils, cooking equipment is moved, cooking equipment is replaced, or the manufacturer no longer supports the system. New owners often do two of those in the first month. If you plan a new menu or a new line, price the suppression work into the deal. See changing your menu or equipment and suppression vs hood cleaning.
Grease interceptor: the other inherited system
The interceptor is regulated by the sewer utility, not the fire code, and it often transfers with the space. Denver’s wastewater permit team says most locations with an existing interceptor must have it inspected for condition and size before approval, and a new food business moving into a space with an existing interceptor may need that inspection depending on its age and condition. The City of Orlando issues Oil and Grease Management Program certificates that are good for five years. Check whose name is on yours. See Denver and Orlando.
Who it’s for / not for
- For: buyers of an operating restaurant, operators taking over a second-generation space, franchisees converting an existing kitchen, and the brokers or landlords who put the packet together
- Not for: legal or contract advice on the purchase agreement or lease. Use this list to know what to ask for, and have your attorney decide what the agreement requires.
Sources
- NAFED: NFPA 96 2024 vs 2021 edition changes (§4.1.5 owner responsibility and delegation; A.4.1.5.2; §10.2.3 and §10.2.3.1 UL 300 triggers; §12.6.13–12.6.15 labels and reports)
- 2024 IFC Chapter 6 as adopted by Denver (UpCodes) (§606.3.3.1–606.3.3.3.1 intervals, records, tags; §606.3.4 suppression service)
- City of Orlando: Orlando Fire Department (public records include fire inspection reports and commercial property reports; CO inspections for new and existing businesses)
- Nashville Fire: Inspection Reports Online (owner access to filed hood cleaning and suppression reports)
- Denver DOTI: Sewer Use and Drainage Permits (existing interceptors inspected for condition and size)
- City of Orlando: Oil and Grease Management Program certificate (registration; five-year certificate)
Next step
Send the seller or landlord the document list above in one email, and book your own full-system inspection for a date before closing.