What Fire Marshals Actually Check in Your Exhaust System

Fire marshals do not inspect kitchens randomly — they follow the grease. If you know the route, you can be ready for it. Here is what the exhaust portion of an inspection usually covers.

The hood sticker

First stop. The dated service sticker on the hood tells the inspector who cleaned the system and when. A current sticker from a professional cleaner sets the tone for everything after it; an expired one — or none — invites a much closer look.

Filters and canopy

Filters should be in place, intact and free of heavy grease. The canopy interior gets a visual and often a scrape check: grease that can be scraped is grease that was supposed to be removed at the last cleaning.

Duct access

Inspectors look for access panels on the duct run — and for evidence the duct behind them is clean. A duct with no access points is a finding in itself, because an unreachable duct cannot have been cleaned or verified.

The roof

Fan condition, hinge operation and grease management at the curb are all fair game. Grease pooled on the roof membrane tells its own story about how the system has been maintained.

Your records

Finally, the paperwork: cleaning certificates and service history. Kitchens that produce a tidy, continuous record close this part of the inspection in minutes. That record is exactly what an Eagle maintenance program builds — one visit, one documentation package, every time.