Every restaurant owner should know fire code guidelines for their commercial kitchen, especially when it comes to their exhaust system (range hoods). If these are not properly cleaned and inspected on a regular basis, this can result in a serious fire, damaging your entire kitchen and restaurant. If you do not know your state’s commercial kitchen fire codes, just read below (click on the link at the end of the summary to read about it in more detail).

Inspection of Exhaust Systems:

The entire exhaust must be inspected by a trained, qualified, and certified company or person.

Exhaust System Inspection Schedule:

Monthly: Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations or very high volume cooking.
Quarterly: Systems serving Moderate to high-volume cooking operations.
Semiannually: Systems serving Low  to Moderate cooking operations. 
Annually:Systems serving low-volume cooking operations.

Cleaning of Exhaust Systems:

During an inspection if contamination is found with deposits from grease-laden vapors, the entire exhaust system must be cleaned by a trained, qualified, and certified company or person.

Hoods, grease removal devices, fans, and ducts, must be cleaned to bare metal prior to surfaces becoming heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge.

 Electrical switches must be locked out before inspection starts.

Components of the fire suppression system must not be found inoperable during the cleaning process.

Fire-extinguishing systems must be permitted to be rendered inoperable during the cleaning process where it is serviced by properly trained and qualified person.

Flammable solvents or other flammable cleaning aids must not be used.

Cleaning chemicals must not be applied on fusible links or other detection devices or the automatic extinguishing system.

After the exhaust system is cleaned it must not be coated with powder or other substances.

 All access panels and cover plates must be replaced.

Dampers and diffusers must be positioned for proper airflow.

When cleaning procedures are completed, all electrical switches and system components must be returned to an operable state.

When a vent cleaning service is used, a certificate showing date of inspection or cleaning must be maintained on the premises.

After cleaning is completed, the vent cleaning contractor must place or display in the kitchen area (must include the who, what where and when of the inspection).

Where required, certificates of inspection and cleaning must be submitted to the authority having jurisdiction.

The authority having jurisdiction must determine compliance with this standard and authorize equivalent deviations from it in all applications.

All interior surfaces of the exhaust system must be accessible for cleaning and inspection purposes.

Grease filters must be arranged so that all exhaust air shall pass through the grease filters.

Solid fuel cooking operations must have spark arresters to minimize the passage of airborne sparks and embers into plenums and ducts.

All solid fuel cooking equipment served by hood and duct systems must be separate from all other exhaust systems.

http://www.greasebustersnj.com/nfpa-fire-code-96.html