Kitchen exhaust cleaning requirement

Restaurant buyers meet this requirement when asking for hood and duct cleaning records. The Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 lets the Minister make regulations establishing a fire code for Ontario, and that Code is O. Reg. 213/07. This entry covers Ontario’s Fire Code only; check the rules where the restaurant operates.

What the Fire Code says

• Article 2.6.1.3 says hoods, ducts and filters subject to accumulations of combustible deposits shall be checked at intervals not greater than seven days, and cleaned if the accumulation creates a fire hazard. It does not apply to a system serving only a single residential suite.
• Article 2.6.1.12 says a cooking operation producing smoke or grease-laden vapours shall have an exhaust system and fire protection system in accordance with NFPA 96, subject to exceptions in that article, including for an individual residential suite and for approved existing systems.
• Article 2.6.1.13 says those systems shall be maintained in accordance with NFPA 96.

What to check or ask

Ask the seller for records of the checks and cleanings, and for inspection and maintenance records for the fire protection system. Ask the local fire department what it expects at a change of owner. The answer on transferring a food premises licence covers other approvals; see also fire safety plan.