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).

All hoods should be tested prior to use, to ensure the hoods exhaust adequately.

Cooking ventilation hoods and devices must be designed and installed to prevent grease or condensation from collecting on walls, ceilings, and fire suppression supply piping and from dripping into food or onto food contact surfaces.

All hoods must comply with the standards of an ANSI accredited certification program and be designed, constructed and installed in conformance with the National Fire Protection Association Bulletin #96.

The installation of fire suppression system piping in the unfiltered air space in exhaust hoods should be limited to vertical runs as much as physically possible to minimize grease collection. Exposed piping must be cleanable.

Hood Size:

Canopy hoods and island hoods must have a minimum depth of two feet and must extend at least six inches beyond any equipment being ventilated, except that no overhang will be required on sides where aprons are installed. The dimensions of the hood are, larger than the cooking surface to be covered by the hood. The amount of overhang of the hood depends upon the clearance or distance between the base of the hood and the top of the cooking equipment. A rule of thumb for the overhang on canopy hoods is 0.4 of the distance from the cooking surface to the bottom of the hood, but in any case, no less than six inches.

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/91/2016/11/Foodservice-Establishment-Plan-Review-Guide.pdf