1. Blocked or obstructed exits and exit signage
Storage in stairwells, pallets in front of exit doors, and burned-out exit signs remain the single most common write-up. It is also the cheapest to fix and the fastest to attract an order.
2. Emergency lighting that fails the load test
Units illuminate on the button test but drop out well before the required duration under load. Batteries degrade quietly; only a timed discharge test finds it.
3. Sprinkler heads painted, loaded, or obstructed
Painted heads, dust loading in industrial spaces, and stock stored within the required clearance below deflectors. Any of these will fail an NFPA 25 inspection.
4. Missing or out-of-date inspection tags
Extinguishers past their annual, hoses past their hydrostatic date, and sprinkler systems with no current tag on the riser. Inspectors check tags first because they are the fastest indicator of a lapsed program.
5. Fire alarm devices listed as 'not accessible'
Devices above hard ceilings or in locked tenant suites carried forward on report after report. Cumulatively these are untested devices, and the building owner wears the risk.
6. Fire doors that do not latch or are held open improperly
Wedges, hooks, and failed closers in rated corridors and stairwells. Hold-opens must release on alarm and be tied to the fire alarm system.
7. Unsealed penetrations in fire separations
New cabling and plumbing run through rated walls without firestopping — usually the residue of a tenant fit-up or an IT upgrade nobody inspected afterward.
8. Missing or incomplete fire safety plan
Plans that were approved a decade ago and never updated after occupancy changes, staff turnover, or renovations. Required contact lists and drills are frequently blank.
9. Kitchen suppression systems out of interval
Commercial kitchen hoods require semi-annual service under NFPA 96. Grease-loaded ductwork and nozzle caps missing are frequent findings in restaurant and institutional kitchens.
10. No records on site
The work may have been done, but the reports live in a contractor's portal or a former manager's inbox. From the inspector's perspective, undocumented is untested.
How to get ahead of the list
- Consolidate every system onto one inspection calendar so nothing falls between vendors.
- Ask for deficiency pricing at the time of inspection, not weeks later.
- Keep a physical or digital binder on site with the last two years of reports.
- Walk the building monthly with a simple checklist — most of this list is visual.