What should a smoke detector test log record?

Each device by ID and location, what kind of device it is, and for each test: whether it sounded, whether its power or status indicator was normal, whether it is in place, mounted correctly and undamaged, whether anything is covering or obstructing it, and whether it is still within the manufacturer's replacement age. Then the finding, the corrective action, who tested it and when.

Does keeping this log satisfy required fire alarm inspection and testing?

No, and the record says so. Pressing a test button and hearing the horn is an owner or operator check. The annual system inspection and test, the semi-annual component inspection and detector sensitivity testing are separate exercises — commonly carried out by a qualified or licensed technician, and producing a certificate and an inspection report rather than a log. Nothing in this tool performs or certifies any of them.

How often do smoke detectors have to be tested?

It depends on the code your jurisdiction has adopted, your occupancy, the manufacturer's instructions and your authority having jurisdiction — and for carbon monoxide devices, frequently on state law as well. This tool does not tell you what interval you owe; it records the tests you performed, whenever you performed them.

Smoke detector & fire alarm test log

Equipment record

Every device, where it is, and what happened when you tested it — the record an owner or operator keeps.

What this is, and what it is not

This is an owner or operator record: the devices you have, where they are, and what happened when you tested them. It is deliberately not a fire-alarm inspection certificate, and it does not pretend to be one.

Separate exercises, not this log: Full system test — control equipment, initiating devices, notification, HVAC shutdown (NFPA 72 §14.4 (annual ITM)); Smoke detector sensitivity test (calibrated equipment) (NFPA 72 §14.4.5 (sensitivity)); Component visual inspections per Table 14.3.1 (NFPA 72 Table 14.3.1). Those produce a certificate and an inspection report, and where your jurisdiction requires a qualified or licensed person to carry them out, this log does not change that.

No frequency is asserted

How often your devices must be tested, and by whom, depends on the code your jurisdiction adopted, your occupancy, the manufacturer’s instructions and your AHJ — and for carbon monoxide devices, frequently on state law, which this tool does not cover. The reference rows below say what the national standard describes for the routine visual checks; they are shown with their edition and the date they were last checked, and they are not a statement about your building.

Panel visual — trouble/supervisory indicators, power, ground faults. Walk to the fire alarm panel and read it. The screen should say normal — no trouble, supervisory or alarm lights, and no ground-fault warning. If something is lit, write down the exact message before anyone clears it. NFPA 72 §14.3 (visual inspection), cited from the 2022 edition; the edition your state or AHJ adopted governs. Record: log entry. Retention: minimum 5 years.

Pull stations & notification appliances unobstructed, undamaged, in place. Walk the building and look at every pull station, horn and strobe. Nothing parked in front of them, nothing painted over, nothing missing or hanging off the wall. NFPA 72 §14.3, cited from the 2022 edition; the edition your state or AHJ adopted governs. Record: log entry. Retention: minimum 5 years.

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.

Why an inventory rather than a single sheet

A device that fails is a device you have to find again. Listing them by ID and location once — the list stays with the building — means the record names the unit in room 214 rather than saying “one detector failed”, and next month you start testing instead of typing.

The rest of the facility log family

The related life-safety records are the extinguisher, emergency lighting, fire door and generator logs. The compliance calendar puts each of them on dates with the code behind it.

A record of tests you carried out. CompliMaint issues no certifications, determines no testing interval, and makes no determination that any building is compliant — your authority having jurisdiction does that. Everything runs on your device.

Questions people ask

What should a smoke detector test log record?: Each device by ID and location, what kind of device it is, and for each test: whether it sounded, whether its power or status indicator was normal, whether it is in place, mounted correctly and undamaged, whether anything is covering or obstructing it, and whether it is still within the manufacturer's replacement age. Then the finding, the corrective action, who tested it and when.
Does keeping this log satisfy required fire alarm inspection and testing?: No, and the record says so. Pressing a test button and hearing the horn is an owner or operator check. The annual system inspection and test, the semi-annual component inspection and detector sensitivity testing are separate exercises — commonly carried out by a qualified or licensed technician, and producing a certificate and an inspection report rather than a log. Nothing in this tool performs or certifies any of them.
How often do smoke detectors have to be tested?: It depends on the code your jurisdiction has adopted, your occupancy, the manufacturer's instructions and your authority having jurisdiction — and for carbon monoxide devices, frequently on state law as well. This tool does not tell you what interval you owe; it records the tests you performed, whenever you performed them.