elevator regulation at a glance
- Regulator
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS), Conveyance Program
- Statute
- C.R.S. 9-5.5; rules at 7 CCR 1101-8; ASME A17.1, A17.3 and A18.1 adopted
- Who inspects
- Licensed third-party inspectors hired by the owner in OPS jurisdiction; approved local authorities having jurisdiction may use staff or contract inspectors
- Frequency
- Annual periodic inspection in the unit’s Compliance Month; annual contractor safety test within 60 days before it; inspector-witnessed safety test every five years
- Certificate
- Certificate of operation $30 per conveyance, expiring at the end of the Compliance Month; not issued until all prior deficiencies are corrected; temporary certificate 60 days, no renewal
- Fees
- Registration $200 per conveyance; alteration permit $150; new installation permit $300
How elevator compliance works in Colorado
Colorado regulates conveyances through the Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) under C.R.S. 9-5.5 and the rules at 7 CCR 1101-8, with ASME A17.1, A17.3 and A18.1 adopted. Every conveyance in the state must be registered with OPS ($200 per unit), and each needs a certificate of operation ($30 per unit) that expires at the end of its Compliance Month, the month fixed by the last witnessed safety test.
In OPS jurisdiction, periodic inspections are performed by licensed third-party inspectors hired by the owner, not by state employees. Each year the maintenance contractor performs a non-witnessed safety test within 60 days before the Compliance Month, and the inspector conducts the annual periodic inspection during it; every fifth year the inspector witnesses the full safety test. OPS will not issue the certificate until all previous deficiencies are corrected, and a temporary certificate for certain violations lasts only 60 days with no renewal. Some cities and counties operate as approved authorities having jurisdiction and run their own programs in addition to OPS registration.
That structure makes Colorado one of the states where owner-side independence is built into the rules. The inspector works for the owner; the contractor performs the tests the inspector checks.
What we do for Colorado owners
Elevator Compliance Group is an independent, QEI-licensed inspection and consulting firm. We do not sell maintenance, repairs or modernization, so our work in Colorado is only for the owner: inspections and inspection witnessing, review of inspection reports and violations, deficiency tracking to verified correction, maintenance contract review, modernization planning and owner representation when the contractor and the inspector disagree.
- Annual periodic inspections and five-year witnessed tests by licensed QEI inspectors
- Compliance Month tracking across portfolios so certificates never lapse
- Deficiency closeout before the certificate deadline, with contractor coordination
- Registration, alteration and installation permit support with OPS and local AHJs
- Maintenance contract review and modernization planning
Where we work in Colorado
Denver and the Front Range are the core of our Colorado work: downtown and Cherry Creek towers, the Denver Tech Center, Anschutz Medical Campus and the UCHealth, HCA HealthONE and Intermountain systems, Denver International Airport, the University of Colorado campuses, and the resort properties of Summit and Eagle counties.
Regulatory summary based on the agency sources below; requirements change, so confirm current rules with the agency or with us before relying on them.