NYC kitchen exhaust cleaning: FDNY decals and records

Who can clean

The NYC Fire Code (FC 609.3.1) requires cleaning by a company holding a commercial cooking exhaust system servicing company certificate, with every person doing the cleaning holding a certificate of fitness. FDNY’s page says the company certificate lasts 1 year, costs $105 to apply and $50 to renew, and the company’s principal needs 5 years of field experience and a W-64 or P-64 certificate. FDNY publishes the approved company list.

How often

FDNY’s W-64 page says exhaust systems in restaurants, hospitals, hotels, schools, cafeterias and other food-service locations are inspected and cleaned at least once every three months. The Fire Code’s tables set the frequency for each type of cooking and component.

The decal and the COF stamp

• Decals are issued by FDNY to certified companies only, each individually numbered, and may not be transferred to another company
• The certificate of fitness holder who did the cleaning fixes one to each hood when the cleaning of the entire system, including any pollution control device, is complete
• Since February 15, 2019 FDNY recognises only the standardised decals, which carry a QR code to the approved list, a barcode with a unique serial number and a metallic UV layer
• Technicians who performed the work use their COF stamp, showing their full name, certificate of fitness number and the company name and ID
• Lost or stolen decals are reported to FDNY within 2 business days

When the job can’t be completed

FDNY’s ordering FAQ describes non-compliance decals for missing, damaged or inaccessible access doors, jobs that can’t meet the required cleaning, and customers who want a decal without the service; non-compliance is reported to FDNY. FDNY’s notice to owners says companies give the customer a written letter listing deficiencies and also notify FDNY.

What records are kept

Under 3 RCNY 115-02(e), the company keeps the numbers of all decals issued, given to technicians, used and lost, and for each cleaning: the date, the business name and address, the names and certificate of fitness numbers of the technicians, and the decal number. Fire Code 609.10.2 has the owner keep the date of each inspection and cleaning by an approved company, and lets the rules require companies to document conditions before and after cleaning.

How Stampario fills it

• The hood cleaning report has a "Decal / sticker #" field for the FDNY decal number and a field for each technician’s name and W-64 / P-64 certificate number, the details 3 RCNY 115-02(e) asks companies to record.
• Components marked not cleaned and "areas not cleaned and why" document a job that ends with a non-compliance decal, and the deficiencies field holds what goes in the letter to the customer.
• Before and after photos show the conditions before and after cleaning, and every report is kept by address with its date.
• Stampario doesn’t issue or replace FDNY decals or COF stamps; the decal on the hood is the proof FDNY recognises.