Requirements
Fire extinguisher inspection tags: what they must show and who marks them
The two tags, and what each proves
Annual maintenance tag (service tag). Attached by the certified technician after annual maintenance. It shows the month and year of service, the type of service performed (annual, six-year, recharge, hydrotest), the servicing company and technician, and typically a 12-month grid of punch-outs or checkboxes for monthly inspections. It is proof that a qualified person examined the unit within the last 12 months. If it is missing or more than a year old, the unit fails inspection.
Monthly inspection record. NFPA 10 §7.2.4.1 requires recording the month and year the inspection was performed and the initials of the person who did it. §7.2.4.2 says this record may be kept on a tag or label attached to the extinguisher, on an inspection checklist maintained on file, or by an electronic method. In practice, the technician's service tag doubles as the monthly tag: you punch or initial the current month's box.
How to mark the monthly tag
- Complete the visual inspection first. The tag records an inspection; it is not the inspection.
- Initial and date the current month's box, or punch it if the tag is a punch style.
- If the unit failed and was removed, do not mark the box. Tag the unit out of service and note the removal in your log.
- Never pre-mark future months.
Can a QR code replace the tag?
A QR code label is a pointer to an electronic record, and NFPA 10 explicitly permits electronic inspection records. Whether you can stop marking the physical tag depends on your Authority Having Jurisdiction (the fire marshal). Some accept an electronic record alone if it can be produced on request; many still want to see the month initialed on the unit during a walk-through. The safe pattern, and what FireGuard customers do, is to scan the QR to create the time-stamped electronic record and still initial the tag. It adds five seconds and removes any argument. A scan identifies the unit; it does not by itself prove the inspection was performed, so the checklist answers and photo are the evidence, not the scan.
Tag colors and formats
There is no national color standard for extinguisher tags. Servicing companies use their own designs, and some states (for example, Texas and California) have licensing rules about what the service tag must include and who may attach it. The monthly grid is usually on the back. Weather-resistant tags are recommended outdoors; a tag that is illegible is treated as missing.
Common tag deficiencies inspectors cite
- No service tag, or service date more than 12 months old.
- Monthly boxes blank for one or more months.
- Same initials in identical handwriting across all months (suggests backfilling).
- Tag illegible from water or paint.
- Six-year or hydrostatic label missing or expired on an otherwise current unit.
Frequently asked questions
Who is allowed to mark the monthly inspection tag?
Any trained employee who actually performed the visual inspection. Only the annual service tag must be applied by a person certified under NFPA 10 §7.3, typically your fire protection contractor.
What if the tag is missing?
Treat it as a deficiency. Check your records for the last annual maintenance date; if you cannot document maintenance within 12 months, remove the unit from service and have it serviced. Replace the tag through your fire protection company.
Track this automatically
FireGuard schedules the monthly interval for every extinguisher, walks your team through the checklist on a phone, shows which units were missed, and produces the records an inspector asks for. 45-day free trial, no card.
This guide is general information about NFPA 10 and OSHA 1910.157 and is not legal advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and edition adopted; your Authority Having Jurisdiction has final say.