Elevator Field Guide

Three code books, three jobs. This chapter explains what each one is for and where to look when a question comes up.

An elevator is governed by more than one document, and they don't all do the same thing. Knowing which book answers which question saves a lot of arguing on the job.

1. The three books

• B44 / A17.1 — how the equipment must be built and kept. This is the safety code (in full, A17.1-2016 / CSA B44-16). Part 2 (electric elevators) and Part 3 (hydraulic elevators) are the design-and-construction parts — what the machine, the hoistway, the pit, and all the clearances must physically be (those rules are marked 🔵). When someone says "the runby has to be at least six inches," they are quoting this book. Part 8 is the upkeep part — maintenance, inspection, alteration, and testing over the unit's service life (marked 🟣). (ASME A17.1 and CSA B44 were harmonized in 2000 and, since the 2007 edition, have been published as one combined book — that's why you'll see it written "ASME A17.1 / CSA B44".)
• A17.2 — how an inspector checks it. This is the Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks (A17.2-2017). It does not set new rules. It walks an inspector through how to verify each rule in A17.1/B44 — what to measure, where to stand, what to operate. In this guide, every note drawn from it is marked 🟢.
• A17.3 — the minimum an older elevator must still meet. This is the Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators (A17.3-2008). Older units were built to whatever code was current the year they went in, so A17.3 sets a retroactive floor — the baseline safety level every existing unit must reach regardless of its age. Its numbers are sometimes looser than the current construction code, and where they differ we flag it as an Older units note.

2. How they fit together

A useful way to hold it in your head:

• A17.1/B44 says what the elevator must be.
• A17.2 says how someone proves it still is.
• A17.3 says what an old one must never fall below.

When a new unit is designed and installed, it is measured against A17.1/B44. When any unit — new or old — is inspected, the inspector follows A17.2. When the unit is decades old and the question is "does this grandfathered elevator still pass," the answer lives in A17.3.

3. Where each topic lives

Each chapter follows the same pattern: the build rule from B44, a 🟢 note on how an inspector checks it, and an Older units note where A17.3 differs. As one example, Chapter 2 covers the hoistway, the pit, and the clearances around the car and counterweight — those rules sit in Part 2 of A17.1/B44, in this order:

The matching floor for older units is Part II of A17.3 (Sections 2.1 through 2.5).

Sources: ASME A17.1-2016 / CSA B44-16, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, Parts 2, 3, and 8. ASME A17.2-2017, Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks. ASME A17.3-2008, Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators. All section numbers in this guide refer to these editions.