Legal inspection deadlines for building systems: intervals, standards and who is liable
Answer
A legal inspection deadline is the interval within which a building system must be inspected by a competent person because a law, regulation or standard requires it. In Germany the most common in building services are a lift effectively every year (BetrSichV), a fire extinguisher every 2 years (DIN 14406-4) and a smoke alarm annually (DIN 14676), alongside drinking-water, electrical and ventilation checks. The operator of the system — not the trade that does the work — is responsible for meeting them.
Switzerland differs: rules are partly cantonal and fire protection follows the VKF (Vereinigung Kantonaler Feuerversicherungen) guidelines, so the German figures are not transferable one to one. This is not legal advice.
What counts as a legal inspection deadline?
A legal inspection deadline is a public-law duty: a competent person or an approved body must inspect a system for safety within a fixed interval. It differs from a maintenance interval, which is agreed in a contract to preserve the value and function of an asset. The inspection deadline is imposed by law to protect people, and the two often run in parallel on the same asset — one never replaces the other.
Legal inspection deadlines at a glance
| System | Typical interval (Germany) | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Lift | Effectively yearly (main inspection every 2 years plus an intermediate inspection between) | BetrSichV |
| Fire extinguisher | Every 2 years | DIN 14406-4 |
| Smoke alarm | Annually (replace after 10 years at the latest) | DIN 14676 |
| Drinking water (legionella, large systems) | Public supply annually; purely commercial every 3 years | TrinkwV § 31 |
| Portable electrical appliances | Risk-based (guide value 6 months to 2 years) | DGUV Regulation 3 (DIN VDE 0701/0702) |
| Ventilation / HVAC hygiene | Every 2 years with a humidifier, every 3 years without | VDI 6022 Sheet 1 |
| Heating | No fixed statutory interval; usually annual per the manufacturer | Manufacturer’s specification; KÜO for the flue |
The deadlines in detail
Lifts
Under BetrSichV a passenger lift is inspected in two stages — a main inspection every two years plus an intermediate inspection in between — so in practice an inspection falls due every year. The inspector is a ZÜS (zugelassene Überwachungsstelle, an approved monitoring body), and the operator must commission each inspection on time and keep the records.
Fire extinguishers
DIN 14406-4, referenced by workplace rule ASR A2.2, sets a check every 2 years by a competent person. On top come an internal inspection every 4 to 5 years and a pressure test after 10 years. Whichever interval falls first sets the next due date.
Smoke alarms
DIN 14676 requires an annual check and replacement after 10 years at the latest, done by the operator or a commissioned specialist company. Keep a written record of every check to document that the duty was met.
Drinking water and legionella
TrinkwV § 31 makes a legionella test mandatory for large systems: annually where water is supplied to the public and every 3 years for purely commercial use. A large system means a store above 400 litres, or more than 3 litres of pipe content between the heater and the draw-off point. An accredited laboratory takes the sample.
Portable electrical appliances
DGUV Regulation 3 (test method DIN VDE 0701/0702) covers portable electrical appliances. The guide value is 6 months, extended up to 1 year in a workshop, up to 2 years in offices and shortened to 3 months on a construction site. The risk assessment may lengthen the interval where the fault rate stays below 2%. A qualified electrician performs the test.
Ventilation and HVAC hygiene
VDI 6022 Sheet 1 sets the hygiene inspection of a ventilation or air-conditioning system: every 2 years with an air humidifier and every 3 years without one, by a category-A specialist. It checks filters, heat exchangers and water-carrying components for microbial growth.
Heating
There is no fixed statutory service interval for a heating system; the manufacturer’s recommendation governs and usually calls for annual servicing by a specialist company. Separately, the flue path and firing appliance are inspected by the authorised district chimney sweep under the KÜO (sweeping and inspection ordinance).
Who is liable for meeting the deadline?
The operator of the system carries the duty, from their operator responsibility and general duty of care. If a deadline is missed and damage results, that can become relevant to liability and insurance. As the trade doing the work you are usually not the operator, but the appointments you keep let the operator prove the duty was met, so accurate records protect both sides. The precise assessment depends on the case; this is not legal advice.
How Gewerkly helps
Gewerkly tracks a legal inspection deadline the same way it tracks a maintenance interval: as a monitored due date on the individual asset. From the interval it auto-calculates the next due date and reminds you in good time — a 30-day lead by default — so a lift inspection or legionella sample does not slip past. You record the result in the maintenance report (checklist, readings, signature, photos), keep the report PDF and hold a full per-asset and per-customer history — the evidence an operator needs to show a duty was met. See How Gewerkly tracks deadlines and Manage maintenance contracts, or Pricing for the plans.
FAQ
Do these inspection deadlines also apply in Switzerland?
No. The intervals here are based on German law (BetrSichV, DIN, TrinkwV, DGUV V3, VDI). In Switzerland different and partly cantonal rules apply, and fire protection follows the VKF guidelines rather than the German standards. For each site, check the applicable law, the risk assessment and the manufacturer’s specification. This is not legal advice.
Who is liable if a legal inspection deadline is missed?
The operator of the system is responsible for meeting inspection deadlines, from their operator duty and general duty of care. If a deadline lapses and damage occurs, this can become relevant to liability and insurance. The exact assessment depends on the individual case; this is not legal advice.
Is maintenance the same as a legal inspection?
No. Maintenance is a contractually agreed activity to preserve an asset’s value and function according to a maintenance interval. A legal inspection is a public-law duty of the operator for safety, tied to a deadline and often to a competent person or approved body. Both can apply to the same asset, but neither replaces the other.
Does Gewerkly issue the official inspection certificate?
No. The official certificate comes from the competent person or approved body that performs the inspection — for example a ZÜS for a lift or an accredited laboratory for a legionella sample. Gewerkly documents your own work as a maintenance report with a report PDF and keeps the full history, so you always know when each inspection was due and carried out.
Sources
- BetrSichV (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung) — lifts, monitoring by a ZÜS. Official text: gesetze-im-internet.de/betrsichv_2015 — as of 2026-07-15
- DIN 14406-4 — maintenance of portable fire extinguishers (referenced by ASR A2.2). DIN e.V. — as of 2026-07-15
- DIN 14676 — installation, operation and maintenance of smoke alarms. DIN e.V. — as of 2026-07-15
- TrinkwV § 31 — testing of large drinking-water installations for legionella. Official text: gesetze-im-internet.de/trinkwv_2023 — as of 2026-07-15
- DGUV Regulation 3 (test method DIN VDE 0701/0702) — electrical installations and equipment. DGUV — as of 2026-07-15
- VDI 6022 Sheet 1 — hygiene requirements for ventilation and air-conditioning systems. VDI — as of 2026-07-15
- KÜO (Kehr- und Überprüfungsordnung) — flue and firing-appliance inspection. Official text: gesetze-im-internet.de/k_o — as of 2026-07-15
Boilerplate
Gewerkly is the maintenance software for small SHK and building-services trades that keeps any of their customers’ maintenance contracts from slipping through — including the legal inspection deadlines that sit on each asset. Start a 14-day trial with no credit card, cancel monthly, users included. See Pricing.