NFPA-96 Hood Cleaning Checklist for Restaurant Operators
NFPA-96 is the standard every U.S. commercial kitchen exhaust system is graded against. Health inspectors and AHJs use it as the script for their walkthrough — if you can answer the items below with documentation, you pass. If you can't, you get a re-clean window and a citation. Use this checklist on every visit and keep it with the work order.
1. Pre-job: confirm the kitchen is ready to clean
- Cooking equipment is shut down, cooled, and the gas is isolated at the appliance shutoff.
- Fire suppression system is locked out per NFPA-17A (manual pull or service disconnect).
- Access panels on the hood, duct, fan, and rooftop terminations are identified and clear.
- Before-photos are taken from a fixed position: hood exterior, plenum interior, fan housing, and rooftop cap.
2. Grease trap and hood interior
- Remove and empty all grease filters; soak or replace as needed.
- Scrape and degrease the hood plenum, including lights, baffles, and the lip under the filters.
- Clean the grease trap / drip tray to bare metal; confirm the drain line is clear and routed to a grease interceptor.
- Wipe down the hood exterior so a thin film of grease does not remain on stainless.
3. Ducts and fans
- Open duct access panels (every 20 feet or at every change of direction, per NFPA-96) and clean to bare metal.
- Brush and pull grease from horizontal runs back into the hood for capture.
- Inspect the fan wheel, fan housing, and shaft for grease accumulation; clean to bare metal.
- Verify the fan hinge / rail system moves freely so the next clean can reach the wheel.
- Confirm the upblast fan opens on its hinge and that the rooftop termination is clear of nesting, debris, and grease bleed-out.
4. Fire suppression system inspection (NFPA-17A)
- Pull pin, tamper seal, and pressure gauge are intact and within manufacturer spec.
- Nozzles over each cooking appliance, in the plenum, and in the duct are aimed and unobstructed.
- Mechanical gas shutoff moves freely and is wired to the suppression release.
- Last 6-month inspection and last 12-year hydrostatic test are within date.
- If any item fails — tag the system "out of service" and notify the operator the same day.
5. NFPA-96 cleaning frequency
Frequency depends on cooking volume and fuel type. The table below is the standard most AHJs work from:
| Cooking type | Cleaning interval |
|---|---|
| Solid-fuel (wood, charcoal) | Monthly |
| High-volume gas (24-hour, wok, stir-fry) | Monthly |
| Moderate-volume gas | Every 3 months |
| Low-volume gas / electric | Every 6 months (annually in some jurisdictions) |
| Schools, churches, seasonal venues | Per cooking-type interval, prorated to actual use |
If the operator doesn't know which bracket they sit in, default to the most conservative bracket your AHJ enforces — that's what an inspector will apply.
6. Documentation and post-job records
- After-photos from the same angles as the before-photos — inspectors compare them side-by-side.
- Work order lists every component cleaned, every item inspected, and the fire suppression system status.
- Service record email is sent to the operator on the same day as the visit, with photos attached.
- Compliance certificate (NFPA-96 sticker) is dated, signed, and placed on the hood where the AHJ expects it.
7. Common inspector findings to pre-empt
- Filters in place but never cleaned — grease film is visible through the slot.
- Fan wheel caked — most cited item on the duct side.
- Rooftop terminations bleeding grease — the fan housing wasn't opened for the clean.
- Fire suppression out of date — separate citation, separate re-inspection fee.
- No service record on file for the previous interval — operators get tagged even when the hood is clean.
NFPA-96 is procedural, not negotiable. The kitchen has to be clean AND the paper has to be complete. HoodKeeper's service record email + compliance certificate handle the paper side automatically; the cleaning side is what your crews do on site.