Utah
The company must hold a State Fire Marshal licence
The company must hold a Kitchen Exhaust System licence from the Utah State Fire Marshal. Getting one is not a formality: the applicant must pass a criminal background check through the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, produce proof of public liability insurance from a carrier, let the Fire Marshal inspect the premises and vehicles they service from, and pay to renew every year.
Ask before bookingYou do not have to ask — Utah publishes the list. Check the company against the State Fire Marshal's licensed-companies table before you book. Because a licence requires proof of insurance and a background check, being on that list says more than most states' licences do.
Utah Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kitchen Exhaust Duct Cleaning Systems — Utah Administrative Rule R710-7 — “No person or concern shall engage in the business of selling, installing, servicing, repairing, testing or modifying any kitchen exhaust system without obtaining a license from the Office of the State Fire Marshal” Read 12 Sep 2026.
Utah
The technician needs a Certificate of Registration too
The individual technician must ALSO hold a Certificate of Registration from the State Fire Marshal, and must be working for a licensed company. A licensed company sending an unregistered technician does not satisfy this — both halves are required.
Ask before bookingAsk for the name of the technician who will actually attend, then check it against the state's registered-technicians table. This is also what makes the fire code's record-keeping rule easy to satisfy in Utah: the record has to name a person, and that person is on a public list.
Utah Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kitchen Exhaust Duct Cleaning Systems — Utah Administrative Rule R710-7 — “No person shall service any KES without holding a certificate of registration issued by the Office of the State Fire Marshal” Read 12 Sep 2026.
Utah
There must be a service label on the system
A service label must be left on the system, printed to the State Fire Marshal's requirements.
Ask before bookingCheck the hood before they leave. No label, and the job is not finished.
Utah Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kitchen Exhaust Duct Cleaning Systems — Utah Administrative Rule R710-7 Read 12 Sep 2026.
Fire code
How often it must be inspected
Your hood, grease-removal devices, fans and ducts must be INSPECTED on a schedule set by how you cook: every month if you burn solid fuel, every 3 months for high-volume cooking such as 24-hour operations, charbroiling or wok cooking, every 12 months for low-volume operations such as places of worship, seasonal businesses and senior centres, and every 6 months for everything else. The inspection must be done by a qualified person.
| How you cook | Inspect every |
|---|
| Solid fuel — wood, charcoal | 1 month |
| High volume — 24-hour, charbroiling, wok | 3 months |
| Everything else | 6 months |
| Low volume — worship, seasonal, senior centres | 12 months |
Ask before bookingAsk which interval applies to your kitchen and why. A charbroiler or a wok range puts you on 3 months, not 6.
City of Charleston Fire Marshal's Office, publishing the adopted International Fire Code — 2015 IFC §609.3.3.1 and Table 609.3.3.1, adopted throughout South Carolina on 1 July 2016 Read 12 Sep 2026.
Fire code
Cleaning is triggered by grease, not by the calendar
Cleaning is not on the calendar — it is triggered by what the inspection finds. If the inspection finds grease built up, the system must then be cleaned to the ANSI/IKECA C10 standard. So the interval above buys you an inspection; whether you also buy a clean depends on the grease.
Ask before bookingAsk whether they work to ANSI/IKECA C10 — the code names that standard by name, so it is a fair question and a specific one.
City of Charleston Fire Marshal's Office, publishing the adopted International Fire Code — 2015 IFC §609.3.3.2 — “such components shall be cleaned in accordance with ANSI/IKECA C10” Read 12 Sep 2026.
Fire code
Your records must name a person, not just a company
Records of every inspection and every cleaning must be kept. Each must name the individual AND the company who did the work, describe it, and say when it happened. A dated invoice with only a company name on it does not meet this.
Ask before bookingAsk for a record naming the technician, not just the company. That is what the code asks for and what an inspector will look for.
City of Charleston Fire Marshal's Office, publishing the adopted International Fire Code — 2015 IFC §609.3.3.3 Read 12 Sep 2026.
