How often are exit signs tested?

Exit signs should be checked routinely, and battery-backed units are normally tested with the emergency lighting schedule

Exit signs are not “set and forget” equipment. In an Ontario commercial, industrial, condo, retail, restaurant, warehouse, or multi-unit building, they have to remain visible, illuminated, correctly aimed, and ready during a power failure. The practical maintenance schedule is routine visual checks, monthly functional testing of battery backup/emergency lighting equipment, and an annual duration test.

The important distinction is this: the exit sign face must be maintained so occupants can find the exit, while the emergency power source that keeps signs and emergency lights operating is tested on a set maintenance cycle. Many modern units combine an LED exit sign, battery backup, and emergency lighting heads in one fixture, so property managers usually test them together.

A solid monthly check includes:

• Confirming every illuminated exit sign is lit on normal power.
• Pressing the test button or using the test switch to confirm transfer to battery power.
• Checking that remote heads turn on and are aimed at the exit path, stairs, corridor, or door.
• Looking for cracked sign faces, missing directional chevrons, dead LED strips, or brown discolouration.
• Confirming the sign is not blocked by stock, displays, seasonal decorations, racking, or open doors.
• Recording the date, location, result, and corrective action in the fire safety log.

For buildings with a fire safety plan, the logbook matters almost as much as the test. If the fire department, insurer, condo board, or property owner asks for proof, “we looked at it” is weaker than a dated record showing which units passed, which failed, and when repairs were completed.

If you need repairs or a replacement plan, our emergency and exit lighting service covers illuminated exit signs, battery units, remote heads, replacement batteries, and wiring corrections for Toronto and GTA properties.

Monthly testing confirms the sign or emergency unit works when normal power fails

Monthly testing is the short functional test: does the unit actually switch to battery power and illuminate when the normal supply is interrupted? For most wall-mounted battery units and combo exit/emergency fixtures, that means holding the test button long enough to confirm the lamps or LED heads come on cleanly.

This test is simple, but it catches common failures early. We often see exit signs that look fine on normal power but fail the moment the test button is pressed because the internal battery is dead, the charging board has failed, or a remote head has a loose connection. That is exactly the failure mode monthly testing is meant to reveal.

A useful inspection pattern is to label or map each device by area:

During monthly rounds, do not just check the fixture closest to the electrical room. Walk the actual path a person would use in the dark: office suite to corridor, corridor to stair, stair to exit discharge, and exterior door area. A sign can be electrically functional but still fail its purpose if it points the wrong way after a tenant renovation, is hidden behind racking, or is not visible from the decision point in the corridor.

If testing reveals flickering, repeated failures, heat damage, or tripped circuits feeding life-safety equipment, do not keep resetting and moving on. That is when a licensed electrician should check the supply, connections, device rating, and panel source. For broader electrical risk symptoms, see warning signs of faulty wiring.

Annual testing proves the emergency lighting can run for the required duration

The annual test is longer than the monthly push-button check because it verifies battery capacity, not just transfer. In many Ontario buildings, emergency lighting is designed around a minimum run time set by building and fire safety requirements; some buildings, such as certain high buildings or specialized occupancies, may require longer emergency power duration. If you are unsure which duration applies, confirm it against the building’s fire safety plan, original design documents, or the authority having jurisdiction.

A proper annual test normally includes:

• Simulating loss of normal power to the emergency lighting equipment.
• Running the units for the required duration, not just a few seconds.
• Confirming exit signs remain illuminated where they rely on battery backup or emergency power.
• Checking that emergency heads still produce usable light near exits, stairs, corridors, washroom paths where required, and exit discharge areas.
• Verifying the units recharge properly after the test.
• Logging pass/fail results and listing repairs.

This test often exposes weak batteries. A unit may pass a 10-second monthly check but drop out after a few minutes. That is why an annual duration test is not the same as walking around and pressing buttons quickly.

For a property manager, the cleanest process is to schedule annual emergency lighting testing alongside other commercial preventive maintenance: panel checks, thermal scanning where appropriate, receptacle and GFCI checks, lighting controls, and tenant improvement review. It reduces missed devices because the electrician is already opening electrical rooms, checking distribution areas, and walking the building systematically.

Commercial buildings also have broader inspection needs beyond exit signage. If you are setting up a compliance calendar, this guide on how often commercial buildings need electrical inspections in Ontario explains how routine electrical maintenance fits with tenant turnover, insurance, and life-safety equipment.

Documentation should identify the device, test date, result, and repair trail

Testing without documentation creates a problem during audits, insurance reviews, fire department inspections, and ownership transitions. Your log should be clear enough that another person can find the same device and understand what happened.

For each exit sign or emergency lighting unit, record:

• Building area, floor, suite, corridor, stair, room, or device ID.
• Date of monthly functional test.
• Date and duration of annual test.
• Pass or fail result.
• Battery replacement, lamp replacement, sign replacement, wiring repair, or other corrective action.
• Name or initials of the person or contractor who performed the test.
• Follow-up date when a failed unit is repaired and re-tested.

Keep the records with the building’s fire safety documents, not in someone’s inbox. If the building changes managers, the log should stay with the property. For multi-tenant properties, include tenant areas, storage rooms, service corridors, mechanical rooms, and back-of-house exits, not just the front lobby.

Good documentation also helps budget replacements. If the same area has repeated failures, the issue may be more than old batteries. It could be a switched supply feeding the unit, a missing unswitched conductor, an overloaded circuit, vibration in a warehouse aisle, water exposure near a loading area, or devices installed where temperature swings shorten battery life.

When replacement is needed, a combination LED exit/emergency unit is commonly in the $250–$450 installed range, with standalone battery packs and remote heads in a similar band, depending on the device and site conditions. Larger buildings, specialty signs, high ceilings, conduit work, and after-hours access are quoted in writing after a site visit.

Repairs may need an electrician and, where required, ESA notification

A monthly test can be done by trained building staff if your fire safety procedures allow it, but electrical repairs should be handled by a licensed electrical contractor. Replacing batteries inside listed units may be routine maintenance; adding new hardwired exit signs, relocating devices, extending circuits, replacing failed charging equipment, or correcting wiring is electrical work and may require ESA notification depending on the scope.

City Power Electrical Services is a Licensed Electrical Contractor, ECRA/ESA #7015314, and for this type of work we provide written estimates, file ESA notifications where required, and clean up after the repair or replacement.

Call an electrician when you find:

• Exit signs that are dark, flickering, buzzing, or visibly heat-damaged.
• Test buttons that do nothing, or units that drop out immediately on battery.
• Emergency heads that work on one side but not the other.
• Batteries that are swollen, leaking, corroded, or repeatedly failing.
• Signs connected to a switched lighting circuit instead of a reliable unswitched supply.
• Missing signs after renovations, demising-wall changes, or changed exit routes.
• Warehouse or retail areas where new racking, shelving, or displays block sign visibility.

Do not wait for the annual test to fix a failed exit sign. The point of monthly testing is to find defects while the building is occupied and normal power is still on. A failed unit should be repaired, replaced, or temporarily addressed according to the building’s fire safety procedures, then re-tested and logged.

If the problem seems tied to the electrical distribution feeding the life-safety circuit, not just the fixture, it may be worth checking for panel or circuit issues. This guide on signs you need an electrical panel upgrade explains capacity and condition symptoms, while our answer hub covers common electrical questions for Ontario property owners and managers.