(a) A county or municipality may hire a private inspector or contract with any person who possesses a West Virginia elevator inspector's certificate of competency issued by the Division.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 21-3C-5

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: means one or more individuals. See West Virginia Code 21-3A-2
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10

(b) The county or municipality shall ensure that every elevator which has been in use for five years or more is inspected annually. A private inspector may inspect any elevator in the state. A division inspector may inspect any elevator in the state for the purpose of monitoring whether private inspectors are in compliance with the provisions of this article.

(c)(1) The county or municipality shall ensure that each newly installed elevator within its jurisdiction is inspected and issued a certificate of acceptance by the Division prior to being placed in service.

(2) A certificate of acceptance shall only be issued if the elevator was installed in compliance with the safety standards set forth in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (ASME) A17.1-3, "Safety Code for Elevators" and ASME A18.1, "Safety Code for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts".

(3) The acceptance inspection shall be subject to the same procedures and requirements as any other elevator inspection.