Guide
What a commercial hood cleaning report should include
A sticker on the hood is not a report. When a fire marshal, insurer, or brand auditor asks for proof, you need photos, scope, and honest callouts of what could not be cleaned.
Report checklist
- Company name and address
- Technician names (and credentials if claimed)
- Facility address and service date/time
- Components cleaned: hood, filters, plenum, ducts, fan, containment
- Areas not accessible — with a plain-English reason
- Before/after photos: filters, plenum, duct access, fan interior
- Service label / tag on the hood with date
- Next recommended due date
- Statement that work followed applicable NFPA 96 / local rules (as claimed by the vendor)
What good looks like
- Photos show bare metal in plenum and fan, not only a wiped lip
- “Could not access vertical riser — missing panel at …” written clearly
- Label date matches the report
- You can hand the PDF to an inspector without apologizing
What a cheap wipe looks like
- One photo of filters on a counter
- No duct or fan images
- Generic “cleaned per NFPA” with zero scope detail
- Sticker applied, report never emailed
Field detail
- Access panels — if the report says “inaccessible” every visit for the same section, budget a panel install
- Rooftop fan — after photo should show the fan housing interior / blades area when hinged
- Sticker — readable from the floor; matches report date
- Next-due — put it on your calendar the same day you file the PDF
After a failed inspection: what the report file must prove
When a fire marshal leaves a deficiency notice, the reinspection is as much about paper as hardware. Secondary industry write-ups of NFPA 96 documentation rules (and city fee schedules) point operators to the same stack:
- Current service label on the hood — date, technician name, company contact (missing/expired labels are a recurring citation pattern)
- Written report within the two-week window — secondary sources cite separate two-week report expectations after inspection and after cleaning; “we don’t have one” is treated as a deficiency
- Scope that matches the citation — grease past depth limits needs a real clean of the affected path; blocked/missing duct access panels need access restored, not another canopy wipe
- Before/after photos of the cited sections — plenum, duct openings, fan interior when hinged — so the marshal can see the correction without guessing
- Original deficiency notice + invoices — bring the notice as the checklist; keep cleaning and (if cited) suppression contractor paperwork together
Reinspection fees are set by the AHJ, not by NFPA. Example (verify before you budget): Dallas Fire-Rescue’s published schedule cited in secondary sources lists first reinspection $171, second $200, third and beyond $255 — other cities differ. Use the city research walk-through rather than assuming Dallas numbers apply elsewhere.
See: Fire marshal reinspection fees — how to research your city · Duct access panels missing — what to ask · Before/after photos.
Who it’s for / not for
- For: operators filing insurance, brand audits, or AHJ follow-ups
- Not for: assuming any certificate is government-issued — most are company documents
Sources
- Facilitec — report & service label requirements (secondary)
- Facilitec — failed fire marshal inspection / deficiency response (secondary; citation patterns + Dallas reinspection fee table)
- Hood cleaning documentation guide (secondary)
- IKECA FAQs
- USFA — find your state fire marshal / POC (official locator)
Next step
Pull your last cleaning PDF. If duct and fan photos are missing, email the vendor for them — or book a return visit that includes those sections before your next inspection window.