elevator regulation at a glance
- Regulator
- Oklahoma Department of Labor (ODOL), Safety Standards Division, Elevator Escalator Program
- Statute
- Elevator Safety Act, 59 O.S. § 3023 et seq.; rules at OAC Chapter 380:70
- Who inspects
- The Chief Elevator Inspector and deputy state inspectors; alterations and major repairs must be inspected by the state
- Frequency
- Annual for wire-rope elevators, escalators, moving walks and any elevator in a hospital or similar facility; at least every two years for 2–4 floor elevators; every three years for wheelchair lifts
- Certificate
- Certificate of operation required and posted in the car or lobby; a major repair or alteration invalidates it until ODOL re-inspects
- Fees
- Inspection labor $200–$300+ per elevator by floor count, $250 per escalator; certificate $25; new elevator inspection and certification $150
Elevator compliance in Tulsa
Tulsa’s downtown is a mix of 1920s art-deco towers, 1970s and 1980s office buildings and recent conversions to residential and hotel use, which means traction equipment of every vintage on an annual state inspection cycle. Saint Francis, Hillcrest, Ascension St. John and OSU Medical Center run the hospital elevators that Oklahoma inspects annually regardless of size; the University of Tulsa, Tulsa Community College, the BOK Center and Tulsa International Airport complete the picture.
Oklahoma’s Department of Labor inspectors perform the inspections; owners schedule them, pay the fee and post the certificate. The historic stock makes two issues common in Tulsa: fire-service and flat-bottom-jack findings that carry compliance timelines, and modernization proposals that are hard to evaluate without an independent read on remaining life.
How we help Tulsa 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 Tulsa 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.
- Condition assessments and modernization planning for historic downtown equipment
- Pre-inspection readiness and owner representation at state inspections
- Violation tracking and variance support when a correction legitimately needs time
- Maintenance contract review for office, hospital and hospitality owners
- Acceptance inspection oversight for conversions and new construction
Nearby communities
Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs and Bartlesville.
Regulatory summary based on the agency sources below; requirements change, so confirm current rules with the agency or with us before relying on them.