What should an emergency lighting test log record?

The date, what kind of test it was, and the duration you actually held — not the one you meant to. Then per fixture: its identity and location, whether every lamp illuminated, whether it ran on battery, its physical condition, whether the charging indicator was normal, and anything that failed with what was done about it. A unit that dimmed or dropped out early is the finding the log exists to carry.

How long does an emergency light have to stay on during a test?

NFPA 101 describes a functional test of not less than 30 seconds at 30-day intervals and an annual test for the full 90-minute duration, and this tool shows that baseline with the edition it was checked against. Whether it binds your building depends on the code edition your jurisdiction has adopted, your occupancy, whether the units are self-testing, the manufacturer's instructions and your authority having jurisdiction. The tool does not prefill a duration for you — it records the one you actually held.

Do exit signs need testing too?

Exit signs with emergency illumination are covered here alongside emergency lights and combination units, because they are the same battery and the same failure. The separate walk-the-egress-path check — that every sign is lit, readable and pointing the right way — is the other half, and both belong on the same record.

Emergency lighting test log

Cited baseline

Test emergency lights and exit signs and keep a clean record — the duration you actually held, per fixture, printed for the file.

The duration box is yours to fill in

Most templates print a number in it. This one does not, and that is deliberate. What your building owes depends on the code edition your jurisdiction adopted, the occupancy, whether the units are self-testing, the manufacturer’s instructions and your AHJ — and a printed record that asserts an obligation nobody checked is worse than a blank one.

So the tool records what you actually held, which is the fact a record should carry and the only one it can know. Per fixture, too: the unit that dropped out at forty minutes is the entire point of running the test.

What the national standard describes

Emergency lighting — 30-second functional test. Press and hold the test button on each emergency light and exit sign for 30 seconds and confirm the lamps come on and stay on. Batteries die silently, so this is how you find them. NFPA 101 §7.9.3 (monthly 30-sec), cited from the 2021 edition; CMS holds certified nursing facilities to the 2012 edition (42 CFR §483.90(a)), and elsewhere the edition your state or AHJ adopted governs. Record: log. Retention: per authority.

90-minute full battery discharge test. Once a year the units run on battery for the full 90 minutes with the power off. Anything that dims or dies before the 90 minutes is up needs a new battery or a new fixture. NFPA 101 §7.9.3 (annual 90-min), cited from the 2021 edition; CMS holds certified nursing facilities to the 2012 edition (42 CFR §483.90(a)), and elsewhere the edition your state or AHJ adopted governs. Record: test record. Retention: per authority.

Exit sign illumination check. Walk the egress path and confirm every exit sign is lit, readable and pointing the right way, with no burned-out sections. NFPA 101 §7.10, cited from the 2021 edition; CMS holds certified nursing facilities to the 2012 edition (42 CFR §483.90(a)), and elsewhere the edition your state or AHJ adopted governs. Record: log. Retention: per authority.

This is the national consensus baseline, with the edition each figure was checked against. Whether it applies to your building — and at what frequency — depends on the code edition your jurisdiction has adopted, your occupancy, your equipment's listing, the manufacturer's instructions and your authority having jurisdiction. Confirm it with them. This tool records what you did; it makes no determination that any facility is compliant.

Built for a corridor

Four checks a fixture, an All pass button for the ones that are fine, and your fixture list kept per building so the next test starts from the units you already listed. Batteries die silently; the walk is the only thing that finds them, and a walk that takes an hour on a phone is a walk that gets skipped.

The rest of the round

The extinguishers are the other monthly walk — extinguisher inspection log — and the generator test log covers emergency power. The compliance calendar puts all of it on dates with the code behind each.

A record of a test you carried out. CompliMaint issues no certifications and makes no determination that any facility is compliant — your authority having jurisdiction does that. Everything runs on your device.

Questions people ask

What should an emergency lighting test log record?: The date, what kind of test it was, and the duration you actually held — not the one you meant to. Then per fixture: its identity and location, whether every lamp illuminated, whether it ran on battery, its physical condition, whether the charging indicator was normal, and anything that failed with what was done about it. A unit that dimmed or dropped out early is the finding the log exists to carry.
How long does an emergency light have to stay on during a test?: NFPA 101 describes a functional test of not less than 30 seconds at 30-day intervals and an annual test for the full 90-minute duration, and this tool shows that baseline with the edition it was checked against. Whether it binds your building depends on the code edition your jurisdiction has adopted, your occupancy, whether the units are self-testing, the manufacturer's instructions and your authority having jurisdiction. The tool does not prefill a duration for you — it records the one you actually held.
Do exit signs need testing too?: Exit signs with emergency illumination are covered here alongside emergency lights and combination units, because they are the same battery and the same failure. The separate walk-the-egress-path check — that every sign is lit, readable and pointing the right way — is the other half, and both belong on the same record.