What Is Category 1 Elevator Testing—and Why Is Pennsylvania Requiring It Every Year?
If you own or manage a Pennsylvania building with covered elevator or escalator equipment, a significant testing change is approaching. Effective December 20, 2026, covered equipment will be subject to stand-alone annual Category 1 (CAT1) testing. For many owners, that means more frequent testing, additional coordination, and a new line item in the compliance budget.
Effective December 20, 2026, covered equipment will be subject to stand-alone annual Category 1 (CAT1) testing, with 2027 marking the first full calendar year of implementation under Pennsylvania’s updated rules.
This article explains what CAT1 testing is, how it differs from Pennsylvania’s semiannual periodic inspections and five-year CAT5 testing, and what owners and facilities teams need to do in 2027.
For a broader explanation of the regulation, read Pennsylvania’s New Elevator Safety Regulation: A Simple Guide for Property Owners.
First: an inspection and a test are not the same
Most Pennsylvania owners are familiar with periodic elevator inspections. Electric elevators, hydraulic elevators and escalators continue to be inspected at intervals not exceeding six months. During these visits, an inspector evaluates the equipment and documents its compliance status. The new regulation does not eliminate or replace those inspections.
CAT1 is different. It actively exercises specified safety systems under controlled conditions to verify that they operate as intended. Qualified elevator personnel—typically the elevator service provider—perform the test, while a Pennsylvania-certified UCC elevator inspector witnesses it and documents the results.
What Category 1 testing involves
Category 1 testing is established by ASME A17.1 and is performed annually. Under Pennsylvania’s updated requirements, equipment that previously received CAT1 testing on a three-year schedule will move to annual CAT1 testing. This change does not eliminate separate Category 3 testing where CAT3 applies.
Depending on the equipment and applicable requirements, CAT1 may involve functional testing of certain door and control systems, braking functions, emergency communications, fire-service operation, emergency power, and other designated safety devices. Not every test applies to every unit, so owners should confirm the required scope with their elevator service provider and inspector.
CAT1 is not the full-load CAT5 test. CAT5 remains on its five-year schedule and continues in addition to annual CAT1.
| AREA | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
| Communications and doors | Door interlocks and door restrictors, as applicable. |
| Suspension and safety devices | Ropes, brakes, safeties, governors and buffers, as applicable. |
| Emergency operations | Fire-service operations and emergency power functions, where applicable. |
| Emergency communications | Applicable emergency communications and signaling functions. |
| Equipment-specific protection | Additional devices and functions required for the covered unit. |
Who may need to participate
CAT1 requires coordination. Two parties are central to the test, and other building-system representatives may need to participate depending on the equipment and how responsibilities are assigned at the property.
| PARTICIPANT | ROLE | WHEN |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator service provider | Performs the test, operates the equipment and provides required test documentation. | Required |
| PA-certified UCC elevator inspector | Witnesses the test and completes the required reporting. | Required |
| Fire-alarm provider or building personnel | May coordinate activation of applicable recall and fire-service functions. | As applicable |
| Emergency-power provider or building personnel | May coordinate transfer and operation on emergency power. | As applicable |
CAT1 may be scheduled near a periodic inspection visit, but owners should not assume that coordination will eliminate the need for a separate trip. Equipment availability, test duration, and participant schedules will determine whether a combined visit is feasible.
Why Pennsylvania is requiring CAT1 annually
The safety systems CAT1 tests—governors, safeties, brakes, door restrictors, emergency communications—must work correctly the moment they are called on. Annual testing reduces the window between when a problem develops and when it is identified. Pennsylvania’s adoption of ASME A17.1-2016 reflects the national code’s updated view that a three-year interval is too long between functional verifications of life-safety equipment.
Under the updated requirements, annual CAT1 becomes stand-alone for all covered equipment, while periodic inspections and CAT5 continue unchanged.
Periodic inspections and CAT5 continue unchanged.
| EQUIPMENT / REQUIREMENT |
BEFORE DECEMBER 20, 2026 | BEGINNING DECEMBER 20, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic elevators | CAT1 every three years | CAT1 annually |
| Traction elevators | CAT1 generally with five-year CAT5 | CAT1 annually; CAT5 still every five years |
| Escalators | CAT1 every three years | CAT1 annually |
| Periodic inspections | At intervals not exceeding six months | Unchanged |
| Applicable CAT5 testing | Every five years | Unchanged |
What this means for your building
If you have hydraulic elevators or escalators
CAT1 will move from every three years to annually. Review each unit’s testing history and confirm whether current agreements and budgets include annual mechanic participation and inspector witnessing.
If you have traction elevators
CAT1 becomes a separate annual requirement rather than being performed with CAT5. CAT5 will still be required every five years, so both tests will apply in a CAT5 year. Existing service agreements may not reflect the new annual structure.
For all covered equipment
Confirm who will perform and witness the test and who is responsible for scheduling. Also confirm whether fire-alarm or emergency-power coordination may be needed.
If a unit does not pass CAT1, the identified deficiency must be addressed. That may require a repair, but it does not automatically require a full modernization.
When the first annual test is due
Effective December 20, 2026, covered equipment will be subject to stand-alone annual Category 1 (CAT1) testing, with 2027 marking the first full calendar year of implementation under Pennsylvania’s updated rules. Because 2027 is expected to be the first major implementation year, owners should use the first quarter—or at least the first half—of 2027 as a practical planning target.
Three things to do now
Inventory your covered equipment. Create a building-by-building list of elevators, escalators and lifts, including equipment type and identifying information.
Review the records for each unit. Collect certificates, periodic inspection reports, CAT1 and CAT5 records, open violations and outstanding correction documentation.
Clarify contracts, responsibilities and timing. Confirm what testing is included, who schedules each participant, what may be billed separately, and when each covered unit should be scheduled.
The change is manageable, but it will require earlier planning and more deliberate coordination. Accurate records are the best place to begin.
Not sure where to start?
ATIS can review your current inspection records, help confirm which units are covered, and support a practical testing plan for 2027.
In Pennsylvania, ATIS Elevator Inspections, LLC is listed by the Department of Labor & Industry as a certified third-party agency for commercial Chapter 405 elevator code services.
Unlike elevator maintenance and modernization contractors, ATIS does not perform elevator repairs, maintenance, or modernization work, so our inspection findings are not influenced by the opportunity to sell the recommended work.
Visit https://atis.com/pennsylvania-inspections#annual-testing or contact sales@atis.com | (844) 542-3538.
Sources and further reading
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry elevator update
Pennsylvania final-form regulation, Regulation #12-123