Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection
of Commercial Cooking Operations

NFPA 96 details the minimum fire safety requirements (preventative and operative) related to the design, installation, operation, inspection and maintenance of all public and private cooking operations, excluding single-family residential usage. These requirements include, but are not limited to all manner of cooking equipment, exhaust hoods, grease removal devices, exhaust ductwork, exhaust fans, dampers, fire extinguishing equipment, and all other auxiliary or ancillary components or systems that are involved in the capture, containment and control of grease laden cooking effluent.

The provisions of this standard are considered necessary to provide a reasonable level of protection from loss of life and property from fire and explosion. The standard is intended to be applied as a united whole, it cannot provide safe design and operation if parts of it are not enforced or are arbitrarily deleted in any applications. The authorities having jurisdiction shall determine compliance with this standard and authorize equivalent derivations from it in all applications.

IKECA members are pledged to adhere to the NFPA 96 Standard in performing kitchen exhaust hood cleaning services. IKECA is represented on the NFPA Standard 96 Committee. IKECA proposed a number of positive code reformations that have since been adopted by NFPA. These changes are designed to decrease occupant and worker health and safety risks, limit the chances of costly restaurant fires, and improve system design.