These Are New York City Elevator Licenses

The Elevator Agency Director and Elevator Agency Inspector licenses are administered by the New York City Department of Buildings.

They should not be confused with a general New York State elevator mechanic credential or another elevator license used outside New York City. NYC has its own licensing structure for elevator inspection agencies and the people responsible for inspection work.

What Does an Elevator Agency Director Do?

An Elevator Agency Director serves as the responsible representative of an entity that conducts elevator inspection activity. The Director supervises the operations of the inspection agency and can also inspect and test covered equipment.

The Director role can involve:

• Supervising elevator inspection agency operations
• Inspecting elevators
• Witnessing required tests
• Inspecting escalators and moving walkways
• Reviewing dumbwaiters and other conveying equipment
• Evaluating wheelchair and platform lifts
• Applying New York City elevator code requirements
• Overseeing inspectors working within the agency structure

It is a high-responsibility position. The Director is not simply the person with the bigger title on the business card.

What Does an Elevator Agency Inspector Do?

An Elevator Agency Inspector is licensed to witness periodic testing and inspect operating elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, moving walkways, wheelchair lifts, and other special hoisting and conveying equipment.

Inspectors work under the direct and continuing supervision of the licensed Elevator Agency Director within the applicable inspection agency structure.

Director Experience Requirements

The regular Director qualification path requires substantial elevator industry experience.

A Director applicant generally needs at least 10 years of satisfactory experience within the 15 years immediately before applying for the examination.

The qualifying experience must involve supervision of work such as:

• Elevator assembly
• Installation
• Maintenance
• Repair
• Design
• Inspection

New York State-licensed Professional Engineers and Registered Architects have an alternate route. They generally need at least five years of satisfactory elevator experience within the seven years immediately before the exam application.

Inspector Experience Requirements

Elevator Agency Inspector candidates generally need at least seven years of satisfactory experience within the 10 years immediately before the examination application.

Qualifying experience can involve:

• Elevator assembly
• Installation
• Repair
• Design
• Inspection
• Work as an elevator mechanic

DOB reviews the applicant's documentation, so experience should be organized before the background-investigation stage. Ten years of elevator knowledge is impressive. Ten years described as "worked on elevators" on a form is considerably less helpful.

OSHA Training Is Different for Directors and Inspectors

The required course is based on General Industry standards, so do not automatically substitute a construction OSHA card without checking the exact DOB requirement.

Elevator Agency Director Exam Format

Director Exam Blueprint

Electric elevators are the single largest Director subject with 20 questions. Hydraulic elevators add another nine. That makes elevator equipment knowledge a major part of the test before you even reach the escalator material.

Elevator Agency Inspector Exam Format

Inspector Exam Blueprint

Electric elevators again account for 20 questions, making them the largest single study category on the Inspector exam too.

Electric Elevators Should Be a Major Study Priority

Both exams devote 20 questions to electric elevators, so candidates should be comfortable with traction equipment and the systems that keep it operating safely.

Review topics such as:

• Traction machines
• Controllers
• Motors
• Brakes
• Governors
• Safeties
• Suspension means
• Compensation systems
• Hoistway equipment
• Doors and interlocks
• Electrical disconnects and controls
• Testing and inspection procedures

Twenty questions is too large a category to treat as a quick review on the night before the exam.

Hydraulic Elevators Need Their Own Study Block

Hydraulic systems operate differently from traction elevators and deserve separate attention.

Study:

• Hydraulic cylinders
• Plungers
• Pumps
• Control valves
• Hydraulic piping
• Leveling systems
• Controllers
• Safety devices
• Inspection points
• Required tests

The Director exam contains nine hydraulic questions and the Inspector exam contains eight, so this is another substantial technical category.

Escalators Are a Big Part of the Director Exam

The Director blueprint includes 21 escalator-related questions when safety, maintenance, testing, and administration are combined.

Review escalator topics involving:

• Braking systems
• Steps and tracks
• Handrails
• Comb plates
• Entrance areas
• Safety switches
• Operating controls
• Inspection procedures
• Maintenance requirements
• Required tests

An escalator may look like a staircase with ambition, but the inspection rules treat it like the moving machine it is.

Accessibility, Platform Lifts, and Other Conveying Equipment Matter

Both exams include accessibility plus equipment beyond ordinary passenger elevators.

Preparation can include:

• Accessible elevator controls
• Clearances and entrances
• Platform lifts
• Stairway chairlifts
• Personnel hoists
• Belt man lifts
• Conveyors
• Dumbwaiters
• Moving walkways

These topics may have fewer questions individually, but together they can easily determine whether a borderline score lands above or below 70 percent.

Current Exams Are Electronically Open Book

Both examinations are open book, but the phrase "open book" is slightly misleading if you picture carrying a stack of ASME standards into the testing room.

This means preparation should focus on recognizing which standard applies to a subject and then locating information quickly inside an electronic document.

1. Identify the equipment or issue.
2. Choose the most likely code or standard.
3. Search a precise term.
4. Read the surrounding requirement.
5. Check New York City modifications where applicable.
6. Answer and keep moving.

Which References Should You Study?

The current CPS HR reference list includes New York City administrative, building, electrical, accessibility, elevator, escalator, inspection, and conveying-equipment standards.

Major references include:

• 2014 NYC Administrative Code, Title 28
• 2014 NYC Building Code, including Chapters 11, 30, 33, and Appendix K
• 2011 New York City Electrical Code
• ANSI A117.1-2009
• ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2007
• ASME A17.1-2000 with applicable supplements and NYC modifications
• ASME A17.1S-2005
• ASME A17.2 inspection guidance
• ASME A17.3-2002
• ASME A17.6-2010
• ASME A18.1-2005
• ASME A90.1-2003
• ASME B20.1-2006

Candidates can review the New York Elevator Agency Director & Inspector License Exam Book Package for a study library organized around these technical subjects.

Double-Check the ASME A17.2 Edition

Edition control matters on this exam.

The current CPS HR online reference list identifies ASME A17.2-2001 as the inspection reference. Some study package descriptions may show a different A17.2 edition.

Elevator standards are already detailed enough without studying the wrong edition with great enthusiasm.

Current Exam and License Fees

NYC DOB's license information currently lists separate issuance and renewal fees for Directors and Inspectors.

Both license types currently have a three-year license term.

Watch the Written Exam Fee Carefully

NYC DOB currently has conflicting fee information on its own elevator pages.

The main Elevator Agency Director and Inspector page announces a newer LIC41 written-exam application fee of $585, while the individual Director and Inspector application pages still describe a $525 exam payment.

Passing the Exam Is Only Part of the License Process

After passing, candidates still need to complete the NYC DOB background investigation and license-issuance process.

Documentation can include:

• Experience verification forms from qualifying supervisors
• Social Security earnings history for claimed experience
• Photo identification
• Physical examination documentation
• Child Support Certification
• Proof of residence
• Current pay records when required
• OSHA General Industry course certificate
• Background-investigation forms

DOB currently charges a separate $500 background-investigation fee for these licenses.

How to Study for the Director or Inspector Exam

1. Start with electric elevators. Both exams assign 20 questions to this category.
2. Study hydraulic elevators separately. Learn the components, controls, safety systems, and inspection points.
3. Spend serious time on escalators. This is especially important for Director candidates.
4. Review ASME A17.2 inspection procedures. Inspection knowledge connects directly to both licenses.
5. Learn New York City modifications. National standards must be read together with applicable NYC code provisions and Appendix K.
6. Review accessibility. Understand both ANSI requirements and NYC Building Code provisions.
7. Study specialty equipment. Platform lifts, personnel hoists, belt man lifts, conveyors, and moving walks still produce exam points.
8. Practice electronic lookup skills. Train yourself to identify the correct standard before searching.

Use the Reference Books Before Test Day

Even though personal books cannot enter the testing room, physical study references are still valuable.

They help you learn which ASME standard applies to which equipment, where inspection procedures are located, how NYC modifications interact with the national standards, and which terminology appears repeatedly.

Practice asking yourself, "Which document should contain this answer?" before opening anything. That question is one of the best habits you can build for an electronically open-book exam.

If a question involves accessibility, think ANSI A117.1 and Building Code Chapter 11. If it involves suspension or governors, ASME A17.6 should get your attention. If it involves inspection procedure, A17.2 is a logical place to look.

Prepare for the License, Not Just the Test

Director and Inspector candidates already come to the exam with years of elevator-industry experience. The challenge is turning that field experience into an organized understanding of the codes and standards used by NYC.

Build your preparation around the official blueprint. Prioritize electric elevators, hydraulic elevators, escalators, maintenance, testing, and inspection procedures. Then make sure accessibility, specialty lifts, moving walkways, administrative rules, and electrical requirements are not ignored.

At the same time, organize your OSHA documentation, employment history, experience verification, physical-examination paperwork, and background investigation materials.

The exam is three hours long, but the license is built on years of experience. Treat the test as the point where your field knowledge and the code books finally get introduced to each other properly.

Start with the New York Elevator Agency Director & Inspector collection at 1ExamPrep to review available study and reference materials.

For the technical reference library, review the New York Elevator Agency Director & Inspector License Exam Book Package.

If you need help organizing licensing paperwork, review 1ExamPrep application services. For exam, book, licensing, and business expenses, you can also review 1ExamPrep financing options.