PacoEvery inspection the law requires of a French hotel
A hotel in France is a building open to the public (ERP). That means a set of regular inspections: fire safety first, plus others under the Labour Code (Code du travail), the Public Health Code and EU rules. Here is the list, with the legal text that sets each one.
This guide helps you understand the rules; it is not legal advice. What applies to your hotel depends on its category, how many people it can hold, and what the local safety commission has required. Check the cited texts before you act on them.
| Check | Interval | Text | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire safety system | 12 months | Art. MS 73 §2, order of 25 June 1980 (categories 1 to 4); art. PO 1 §3 and art. PE 4 §1, Book III (hotel in category 5) | The check is annual. A three-yearly check by an approved body is added for category A and B systems and automatic suppression. |
| Fire safety system, three-yearly check | 36 months (categories 1 to 4) | Art. MS 73 §2, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Extinguishers | 12 months | Art. MS 38 §4, order of 25 June 1980 | Annual check and a ten-yearly overhaul. The six months sometimes quoted come from confusion with the frequency of drills. |
| Extinguishers, ten-yearly overhaul | 120 months | Art. MS 38 §4, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Smoke control | 12 months | Art. DF 10 §2, order of 25 June 1980 | Annual check, alongside a three-yearly one. |
| Smoke control, three-yearly check | 36 months (categories 1 to 4) | Art. DF 10 §3, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Electrical installations (public-access rules) | 12 months | Art. EL 19 §3, order of 25 June 1980 (categories 1 to 4); art. PE 4 §2 (category 5); art. PO 1 §3 (hotel: annual) | The fire rules for buildings open to the public (ERP) allow no two-year extension. The Labour Code (Code du travail) extension does not apply here. |
| Electrical installations (Labour Code) | 12 months | Art. 3 of the order of 26 December 2011, under art. R.4226-16 | The hotel's manager (chef d'établissement) may extend the interval to two years if the previous report noted no problems (sans observation). That is a decision, not an automatic right. |
| Gas | 12 months (24 in category 5, 36 outside a hotel) | Art. GZ 15, order of 25 June 1980 as amended by the order of 23 February 2025 (categories 1 to 4); art. PO 1 §3 and PO 8 §1, Book III (hotel in category 5); art. PE 4 §2, Book III (other category 5) | Annual for categories 1 to 4; every three years in category 5 outside a hotel (PE 4 §2); every two years for a type-O hotel in category 5 (PO 1 §3). Held as a single figure, one of the regimes is always wrong. |
| Elevators, general periodic check | 12 months | Art. R.4323-23 of the Labour Code; art. 6 of the order of 29 December 2010 | Annual general check, plus a technical inspection every five years. The elevator is exempt from the check in the year of the technical inspection. |
| Elevators, technical inspection | 60 months | Art. R.134-11 of the Construction and Housing Code | |
| Flue sweeping | 6 months | Decree 2023-641 of 20 July 2023, art. R.1331-71 of the Public Health Code (formerly R.1331-19) | Six months for a collective appliance, twelve for an individual one or a gas flue. The regime was redefined by the decree of 20 July 2023. |
| Legionella, sampling | 12 months | Annex 2 of the order of 1 February 2010 | Sampling is annual, but the temperature log is monthly. It is the most frequent obligation in the catalogue. |
| Legionella, temperature log | 1 month | Annex 2 of the order of 1 February 2010 | |
| Emergency lighting, autonomy test | 6 months | Art. EC 14, order of 25 June 1980 (categories 1 to 4); art. 11, order of 14 December 2011 (category 5) | |
| Emergency lighting, function test | 1 month | Art. EC 14, order of 25 June 1980 (categories 1 to 4); art. 11, order of 14 December 2011 (category 5) | |
| Staff fire-safety training | 6 months | Art. PO 7, order of 22 June 1990; art. R.4227-39 of the Labour Code | Two sessions a year, required by both the public-access regulation and the Labour Code, which converge on six months. |
| Q18 check (insurance-driven) | 12 months | APSAD D18 referential | An insurance-driven, voluntary check rather than a legal duty. Tracked here because an insurer may ask for it. |
| Safety commission visit | 36 months | Art. GE 4 §1, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Public accessibility register, training attestation | 12 months | Art. 1 II of the order of 19 April 2017 | |
| Occupational risk assessment (DUERP), update | 12 months | Art. R.4121-2 of the Labour Code | |
| Fire hose reels | 12 months | Art. MS 73, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Refrigerant leak check | 12 months (depending on the charge) | Regulation (EU) 2024/573, art. 5 | |
| Fire-safety logbook, drill dates and safety staff | to be confirmed | Art. R.143-44 of the Construction Code (Decree 2025-1100, from 1 July 2026) | |
| Heating, cooling and air handling | 12 months (categories 1 to 4) | Art. CH 58 §2 and art. O 22 §4, order of 25 June 1980 | |
| Atout France hotel classification | 60 months | Tourism Code, art. L.311-6 and D.311-8; order of 29 December 2021; Decree 2026-14 | |
| Automated external defibrillator, maintenance | to be confirmed | Art. L.157-2 and R.157-1 to R.157-4 of the Construction Code; art. R.5212-14 of the Public Health Code | |
| Swimming pool, sanitary monitoring | to be confirmed | Art. D.1332-1 et seq. of the Public Health Code | From 1 January 2027 the hotel orders and pays for the water tests from an accredited laboratory; until then the regional health agency takes the samples. How often depends on the pool: twice a quarter for type A, every quarter for B and C, once a year for D. |
| Food safety management plan (HACCP) | to be confirmed | Regulation (EC) 852/2004, art. 5 | |
| Pest control | to be confirmed | Regulation (EC) 852/2004, Annex II, Chapter IX | |
| Asbestos file (building permit before July 1997) | to be confirmed | Art. R.1334-14 to R.1334-29-7 of the Public Health Code | Only if the building permit predates 1 July 1997. No fixed cycle: materials in good condition are re-assessed within three years, and the file is updated after every job in the building. |
Two sets of rules overlap, and they do not agree
The same installation can fall under both the fire rules for buildings open to the public (ERP) and the Labour Code. Electrical work is the clearest example: the two do not allow the same interval.
- The hotel's manager (chef d'établissement) may extend the interval to two years if the previous report noted no problems (sans observation). That is a decision, not an automatic right.
- The fire rules for buildings open to the public (ERP) allow no two-year extension. The Labour Code (Code du travail) extension does not apply here.
The intervals that come in pairs
Several checks run on two schedules at once. The fire alarm system (SSI) is checked every year, and categories A and B also need a three-yearly check by an approved body, in category 1 to 4 properties only. Extinguishers are checked every year and overhauled every ten years. A lift has a yearly general check and a five-yearly technical inspection.
- The check is annual. A three-yearly check by an approved body is added for category A and B systems and automatic suppression.
- Annual check and a ten-yearly overhaul. The six months sometimes quoted come from confusion with the frequency of drills.
- Annual general check, plus a technical inspection every five years. The elevator is exempt from the check in the year of the technical inspection.
- Sampling is annual, but the temperature log is monthly. It is the most frequent obligation in the catalogue.
Two clocksFire safety system
Annual check12 monthsMS 73 §2
Three-yearly check36 monthsApproved body
Example data
What changed in 2026
Four texts changed a hotel's routine this year. A routine copied from last year does not know them.
- Gas: the GZ chapter, rewritten by the order of 23 February 2025, applies since 1 January 2026.
- Category 5: since 1 July 2026, Book III (order of 1 December 2025) names gas. For a hotel, the check comes round every two years (art. PO 1 §3).
- Safety register: since 1 July 2026, it must hold the dates of the evacuation drills and the named list of safety staff (art. R.143-44 of the Construction Code, Decree 2025-1100).
- Atout France classification: Decree 2026-14 makes renewal stricter since 1 September 2026.
Flue sweeping changed in 2023
Decree 2023-641 of 20 July 2023, codified at article R.1331-71 of the Public Health Code (formerly R.1331-19), changed the rules. A routine kept from memory misses this kind of change: last year's rule is no longer the right one.
31Required checks in this guide
Monthly to every 10 yearsHow often they come round
Every checkWith its legal source
Common questions
Does this list apply to my property?
It describes the general picture. Your hotel's category, how many people it can hold, and what the local safety commission has required change what actually applies. This guide helps you understand the rules; it is not legal advice. Paco works out which checks apply to your hotel from what you tell it about the building.
Where do I find the full text?
The order of 25 June 1980, whose Book III has applied to category 5 properties since the order of 1 December 2025, is available on Légifrance, as are the Labour Code and the Public Health Code. The references above point to the exact article.
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