NFPA 96 Inspection Checklist and Guide for Cambridge Kitchens
NFPA 96 is the standard the National Fire Protection Association publishes for ventilation control and fire protection of commercial cooking operations. It covers the whole grease path in a commercial kitchen: hood, filters, plenum, duct and rooftop fan. It sets how often that path is inspected by the type and volume of cooking, the grease depth at which a surface must be cleaned, and what the cleaning record has to state. In Ontario the standard reaches your kitchen through the Ontario Fire Code, which references NFPA 96. This guide references the published standard. Cambridge Hood Cleaning is not affiliated with NFPA.
Last updated: September 2026
What NFPA 96 covers, and what it leaves to you
Grease is a fire load. The standard names a measurable depth at which a surface has to be cleaned, and that depth applies everywhere on the path, from the plenum to the inside of the fan housing.
Inspection comes first, cleaning follows. The standard publishes how often the system is inspected, set by the type and volume of cooking. Cleaning is required when an inspection finds deposit at or over the limit.
The record is part of compliance. A dated record of each inspection and cleaning, stating what was done and by whom, stays with the kitchen.
NFPA 96 hood cleaning frequency: monthly vs quarterly vs semi-annual vs annual
NFPA 96 sets the inspection interval from the type and volume of cooking, not from the size of the kitchen or the number of seats.
| Type of cooking vs published interval | Cooking operations NFPA 96 names | Where that kitchen sits in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Solid-fuel cooking | A charcoal grill or a wood-burning oven in any of the three downtowns. |
| Quarterly | High-volume cooking: charbroiling, wok cooking, 24-hour operation | A charbroiler on a franchise line along Hespeler Road, or a wok station on Main Street in Galt. |
| Semi-annually | Moderate-volume cooking | A single-shift restaurant on King Street in Preston, or a plant cafeteria off Franklin Boulevard. |
| Annually | Low-volume cooking: churches, seasonal businesses, day camps | A church hall kitchen in Hespeler, a legion branch, or a summer camp kitchen near Paris. |
Each interval is a floor. Which kitchens fall on which row is on the who we serve page.
NFPA 96 inspection checklist: ten items to walk before the inspector does
The checklist follows the grease path from the cook line to the roof. Walk it with a flashlight and the last cleaning record.
- Cleaning record. The most recent record is dated, signed, and names every section it covers. A record that says only "hood" covers only the hood.
- Interval. The date on that record falls inside the published interval for your type of cooking.
- Filters. Every slot is filled, the filters are the listed grease-removal type, and none is bent, corroded or sitting with a gap.
- Plenum. The chamber behind the filters shows bare metal, not a film you can scrape with a fingernail.
- Duct access. Access panels exist along the horizontal run and the riser, and they open. A run with no panel cannot be inspected.
- Duct interior. The duct at each panel is checked, and the depth found goes on the record.
- Rooftop fan. The fan can be tipped or opened, and no grease sits on the roof around the curb.
- Airflow. Smoke at the cook line is pulled into the hood rather than rolling out under the edge.
- Suppression. The suppression system carries a current service tag, and the nozzles are capped and aimed at the appliances beneath them.
- File. The record, the before-and-after photographs, and proof of the contractor's WSIB coverage and liability insurance sit where an inspector can be handed them within a minute.
Items three through seven are where most kitchens fall short, because none of those surfaces is visible from the cook line. The scopes that cover them are on the hood cleaning services, kitchen exhaust cleaning and exhaust fan pages.
Commercial kitchen hood code requirements in Ontario: how the Fire Code references NFPA 96
The Ontario Fire Code is the provincial regulation for fire safety in existing buildings, and it references NFPA 96 as the standard that commercial cooking exhaust systems are inspected and cleaned against.
The Fire Code is the law, and it points to NFPA 96 for the technical content: what gets inspected, how often, to what depth, and what is written down. The operator holds those duties, not the contractor. A cleaning record shows a duty was met on a date; it does not transfer the duty.
What the fire services look for on an inspection
The authorities having jurisdiction for fire in this territory are the Cambridge Fire Department for Galt, Preston, Hespeler and Blair, the North Dumfries Fire Department for Ayr, and County of Brant Fire for Paris. Each enforces the Ontario Fire Code.
A fire inspection tends to run in the same order as the checklist. The inspector asks for the most recent cleaning record and reads which sections it names, lifts a filter to look at the plenum, asks where the duct access panels are, and asks whether the rooftop fan opens.
Fire services enforce. They do not issue cleaning certificates, keep a list of approved contractors, or endorse anyone. The certificate in your file is your evidence, and an inspector reads it as evidence, not as proof.
NFPA 96 certification vs a signed certificate: which one exists
NFPA 96 certification is not a credential that exists. NFPA publishes standards and does not certify contractors, so no hood cleaning company is NFPA 96 certified, whatever its website says. What does exist is a signed certificate that references the published standard.
What a signed certificate asserts. That named sections of one specific exhaust system were cleaned on one specific date by one specific contractor, with reference to the published NFPA 96 standard. Cambridge Hood Cleaning issues a signed health and safety certificate on that basis, with before-and-after photographs of every cleaned surface, and states on it that the business is not affiliated with NFPA.
What it does not assert. It is not a fire inspection and does not say the kitchen passed one. It covers no section it does not name. It makes nobody "certified", because no body issues that credential. Whoever searches for "certified kitchen exhaust cleaners" is looking for proof, and the proof that exists is the certificate, the photographs, and proof of WSIB coverage and liability insurance before work starts. Contract terms are on the terms page.
How much does NFPA 96 hood cleaning cost in Cambridge in 2026?
NFPA 96 hood cleaning for a single-hood kitchen up to ten feet starts from $585 per visit, and the full price structure by system size is on the services page.
The interval drives the annual cost more than the price of one visit: a quarterly kitchen books four visits a year, an annual church hall books one.
Where to find NFPA 96 hood cleaning near me in Cambridge
Cambridge Hood Cleaning reads every kitchen in Galt, Preston, Hespeler, Blair, Ayr and Paris against the published NFPA 96 standard during a free walk-through, and puts the finding in writing. The documentation standard is on the about page and the coverage line on the areas served page.
Next step: call 226-917-4064 or request a written quote, with the last cleaning record at hand.
NFPA 96 in Cambridge: frequently asked questions
Is NFPA 96 the law in Ontario?
NFPA 96 is a standard, and the Ontario Fire Code is the law. The Fire Code references NFPA 96 for commercial cooking exhaust systems, so a fire inspector applies the standard through the Fire Code.
Does NFPA 96 apply to a church kitchen that cooks a few times a month?
NFPA 96 covers every commercial cooking operation that produces grease-laden vapour, however often it runs. Churches, seasonal businesses and day camps are named in the published table under low-volume cooking, with an annual inspection.
Can a hood cleaning company be NFPA 96 certified?
No company can be NFPA 96 certified, because NFPA writes standards and does not certify contractors. A contractor can reference the published standard on a signed certificate and back it with photographs and insurance proof.
Is a hood cleaning certificate the same as passing a fire inspection?
A hood cleaning certificate is the contractor's record of which sections were cleaned on which date. A fire inspection is the fire service's own check of the kitchen, which reads the certificate as one piece of evidence among several.
Does a public health inspection cover the exhaust system?
A public health inspection covers food safety and sanitation. The exhaust path is a fire matter under the Ontario Fire Code, so it belongs to the fire service.