How to Look Up an Elevator Inspection in Texas

Where to look

The equipment search page offers four options: elevators and related equipment, license type, responsible CE provider and courses completed. For a building's equipment, the first is the one you want.

The rules behind the record

Elevators, escalators and related equipment in Texas are governed by chapter 754 of the Health and Safety Code and the rules in 16 TAC chapter 74. The cycle works like this:

1. Annual inspection. The building owner hires a registered elevator inspector, a third party, to inspect each unit every 12 months.
2. Violations are dealt with first. Anything cited must be corrected, placed under contract for correction, or covered by an approved delay or waiver before a certificate can be issued. A repeat violation must be corrected immediately and the correction verified by the inspector.
3. Filing within 30 days. The owner sends TDLR the inspection report, any supporting documents and the per-unit fee within 30 days of the inspection.
4. Certificate of compliance. Once TDLR approves the filing it issues a certificate for each unit, valid for one year from the inspection date.
5. Display. The certificate must be posted where the public can see it.

Filing late costs money: a report filed 60 days or more after the inspection carries a late fee per unit for each 30-day period. Electric traction elevators also need a full-load test every five years under the ASME A17.1 code TDLR applies.

Houston is the exception

Elevators and escalators inside the Houston city limits are not regulated by TDLR. The city runs its own program, so a Houston building will not be found in the state search. Elsewhere in Harris County, the state rules apply as normal.

Equipment in single-family homes is also outside the annual cycle, although state law still requires a registered inspector to inspect it after installation.

Who does the work

TDLR's program summary counts 43,683 certificates for commercial and other non-residential equipment in fiscal year 2025, inspected by about 175 third-party inspectors. The public license file shows the same picture:

• 172 elevator inspector licenses are active.
• 281 elevator contractor licenses are active, the companies that install, repair and maintain the equipment.
• The file also carries 643 elevator responsible party records, none of them with a current expiration date.

That works out to roughly 250 certificates a year for every active inspector, which is why owners who leave the inspection to the last month often struggle to get a date.

Elevator contractors by county Elevator inspectors by county

If you are a tenant or a visitor

Look for the certificate posted in the building, usually in or near the elevator or in the building office. If it is missing or expired, the equipment search shows whether the unit's certificate is current. Concerns about an elevator's safety can be reported to TDLR through its complaint system.

Related

• Every TDLR search, and which one you need
• How to search TDLR penalties and disciplinary actions
• TDLR links directory

Questions

How often do elevators have to be inspected in Texas?

Every 12 months, by a registered third-party elevator inspector. The certificate of compliance that follows is valid for one year from the inspection date.

Who is responsible for the inspection, the owner or the contractor?

The building owner. The owner hires the inspector, files the report and fees with TDLR, and posts the certificate.

Why can I not find a Houston elevator in the TDLR search?

Because elevators inside Houston city limits are regulated by the City of Houston, not by TDLR.

Sources

Elevators at a glance (TDLR, PDF); Obtaining a certificate of compliance, form ELE201N (TDLR, PDF); TDLR search and verify page. License counts compiled from the public TDLR license file dated 20 September 2026.

Reviewed 8 October 2026. Written by an independent site; not an official TDLR publication. Fees and procedures change: confirm with TDLR before acting.