Cat 5 is the full-load test each New York City elevator needs every five years. A missed Cat 5 report costs more than a missed Cat 1.
Last checked Sep 30, 2026 against 1 RCNY §103-02, DOB’s Elevator Compliance page and DOB notices. General information, not legal advice.
Cat 5 tests the elevator at rated load and speed every five years, counted from the month of its last Cat 5 or, for a new elevator, the month its Certificate of Compliance was issued. The performing agency notifies the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) at least 5 calendar days before the test, and a witnessing agency watches it where required. The report is filed within 21 days in DOB NOW: Safety, DOB’s online filing system. A report never filed costs the owner $5,000 per elevator in commercial, mixed-use and 3+ unit residential buildings.
The rule is 1 RCNY §103-02, DOB’s elevator inspection rule.
DOB describes Cat 5 as a test “with rated load and speed every 5 years.” The annual Cat 1 test runs the car empty; the Cat 5 runs it at the load and speed it is rated for.
Table N1, in Appendix K of the NYC Building Code, sets which devices need a Cat 5. Check each device type you maintain with the performing agency.
The rule sets the Cat 5 cycle as “within five (5) years from the month” of:
The DOB NOW FAQ reads the deadline as the last day of the month in which the five-year anniversary falls.
| Example: last Cat 5 in Mar 2022 | Date |
|---|---|
| Notify DOB (ELV36 form) | At least 5 calendar days before the test |
| Test must be done | By Mar 31, 2027 |
| Report due | 21 days after the test |
| Last day DOB NOW accepts the report | Apr 21, 2027 |
Elevators in one building can have Cat 5s due in different months and years. Plan them alongside each elevator’s Cat 1.
Count the five years from the month of the last Cat 5, as the rule does; DOB’s older owner page words it as “from date of installation”. File by the 21st of the month after the anniversary. DOB’s Elevator Compliance page says later filings “will not be accepted”, although the DOB NOW FAQ mentions filing “up to one year late”.
Cat 3 is a test every three years on water-hydraulic elevators only: hydraulic elevators that use water as their fluid. Its three years count the same way as Cat 5’s. It has the same rules as Cat 5 for:
The ELV3 test report is filed in DOB NOW: Safety within 21 days of the test.
An unsatisfactory Cat 3 or Cat 5 result can’t be filed. The ELV3 instructions say “Unsatisfactory results are not accepted for Category 3 or Category 5 tests.” Leave time to repair and retest before the anniversary month ends.
A report filed after the last day DOB accepts it is expired, and needs a new test; see late and expired filings. Late and never-filed penalties are in NYC elevator fines.
A test of the elevator at its rated load and speed, required in New York City every five years. It is witnessed where required and filed in DOB NOW: Safety within 21 days.
Within five years from the month of the elevator’s last Cat 5, or from the month a new elevator’s Certificate of Compliance was issued.
$5,000 per elevator for a report never filed in commercial, mixed-use and 3+ unit residential buildings, and $1,000 in 1–2 family homes. Late filing costs $250 a month, up to $3,000 ($50 a month, up to $600, in 1–2 family homes).
Cat 3 is a three-yearly test for water-hydraulic elevators only. Cat 5 is the five-yearly test at rated load and speed. Both need 5 days’ notice to DOB and a 21-day filing, and carry the same penalties.
For a witnessed test, add the witnessing agency as an Auditor: it books a time from your Team’s calendar through one link, and the Building Manager agrees to it. Defects are logged as Issues against the elevator, with photos, until they are resolved. LiftAuth does not file the ELV36 or the ELV3 in DOB NOW.
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