How often must self-contained emergency lighting be tested?
Self-contained emergency lighting unit equipment must be tested at intervals not greater than one month, and at intervals not greater than 12 months for the longer-duration test.
Conditions and exceptions
- The monthly check and the annual test are separate obligations — doing one does not satisfy the other.
- Results must be recorded and retained.
- Provincial fire codes adopt this with their own amendments.
Where this comes from
National Fire Code of Canada
This page states the requirement and points you to the publisher. It does not reproduce the code text — read the provision itself at the official source below.
Read the official text at NRC — Codes Canada publications →Verify this against the code edition actually adopted where you are building. Provinces, territories, and municipalities amend on their own schedules, and where the governing document and this page disagree, the governing document controls. This is not legal, engineering, or permitting advice. Last reviewed 2026-08-12.
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