About the NFPA 96

The NFPA 96 is a document produced by the National Fire Protection Association to provide the minimum standards for kitchen exhaust cleaning systems present in commercial kitchens. The document is the best way to ensure your restaurant is up to industry best practices regarding fire safety and maximize fire safety for everyone present in your establishment. Revisions are made every few years in order for the NFPA 96 to stay updated and take into account any advancements that have been made in the hood cleaning industry.

The current NFPA 96 was released in 2011 and offers further details regarding requirements for professional technicians maintaining your kitchen exhaust system. At this point, certified technicians must require quality cleaning processes to maintain grease-free ducts and prevent establishments from experiencing grease fires. Other areas the provisions address include the design, installation and operation of the entire system present in a commercial kitchen.

How often a restaurant will need to have their ventilation cleaned depends on the type of cooking is being done in the establishment’s kitchen. The scheduling requirements are as follows.

Monthly: systems serving solid fuel cooking operations

Quarterly: systems serving high-volume operations such as 24 hour cooking, charbroiling or wok cooking

Semi-Annually: systems serving moderate-volume cooking operations

Annually: systems serving low-volume cooking operations such as seasonal businesses

More and more cities and towns are getting rid of their outdated fire codes in favor of the NFPA 96. This allows the methods used by licensed technicians to become more universal and helps keep everyone safer.