Free · Validity guide · England
How often should emergency lighting be tested?
Monthly, plus a yearly full test
Emergency lighting has no legal expiry, but it must be kept in efficient working order. Government fire safety guidance, which refers to BS 5266, suggests a short monthly function test of every light and a yearly test for its full rated duration, carried out by a competent person.
Work out your emergency lighting test expiry date
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For a monthly reminder, enter your last function test and choose 1 month.
Annual full-duration test and monthly function test come from government guidance based on BS 5266. The guidance also lists a six-monthly check at one third of rated duration. None of these dates is set in law.
Enter a date to see when it expires, how many days are left, when to book the renewal, and to add reminders to your calendar.
Who needs an emergency lighting test
The responsible person for any premises covered by the Fire Safety Order where escape routes and exits need lighting if the normal lighting fails. That includes most workplaces, shops, offices and the common parts of blocks of flats and HMOs. The lighting must be maintained in efficient working order, and your fire risk assessment should say where it is needed.
What happens if it expires
- There is no certificate to expire. The legal risk is lighting that fails when needed, which breaches the duty to maintain it.
- The fire and rescue authority can serve an enforcement notice.
- Where a failure puts people at risk of death or serious injury, it is an offence that can lead to a fine, up to 2 years in prison, or both.
How to renew
Monthly: run the function test
Use the test switch, often a fishtail key near the fuse board, long enough to see every emergency lamp light up. Note any that do not.
Annually: book the full-duration test
A competent person runs each light for its full rated duration and records the result.
Pick a safe time for long tests
Batteries typically take 24 hours to recharge after a full test. Test when the building will not need the emergency lighting straight after.
Replace failed units and batteries
A light that fails the duration test is not protecting the route. Fix it and retest.
Log everything
Keep a log book of monthly and annual tests, faults and repairs.
When to book
3
weeks
Book the annual test about 3 weeks ahead and plan it for a quiet period, because the building needs time for batteries to recharge. This is our suggestion, not a legal rule.
A simple reminder plan: 30 days, 7 days before the expiry date. The calculator above puts these in your calendar.
Evidence to keep
- An emergency lighting log book with each monthly function test.
- The annual full-duration test certificate or report.
- Records of failed fittings and when they were repaired or replaced.
- A plan showing where the emergency lights are.
Common mistakes
- Only doing the yearly test. Monthly checks catch failed lamps in between.
- Running a full-duration test just before the building fills up, leaving batteries flat.
- Not testing exit sign lights, which are part of the system.
- Not updating the lighting after a refit changes the escape routes.
When you would rather not remember
What this looks like when it runs itself
Add the date once and give it an owner. ExpiryEdge reminds them before it lapses, on the channel they actually read, and keeps the certificate and a record of who did what.
Try it with your own dates, free for 14 days, no cardExpiryEdge · Tracked item
Emergency lighting annual test · Castle Street Surgery
ValidOwner
Practice manager
Expires
1 year after issue
Reminders before expiry
30d
7d
Due
Emergency lighting test questions, answered
Government fire safety guidance suggests a monthly function test and an annual test for the full rated duration. Its checklist also includes a six-monthly check that lights run for one third of their rated duration.
It is the usual name for the monthly function test. You operate the test switch for long enough to confirm each emergency lamp lights, then restore the power.
The law requires emergency lighting where escape routes need it and requires it to be maintained in efficient working order. The test intervals come from guidance and BS 5266, not from the law itself.
Government guidance treats the monthly function test as a routine in-house check, done following the manufacturer’s or supplier’s instructions. The annual test and maintenance should be done by a competent person.
For its full rated duration, which is marked on the fitting or in the system documents. Batteries typically take 24 hours to recharge afterwards.
Sources
Every rule on this page comes from these official sources.
1.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14 (emergency routes and exits)legislation.gov.uk · checked 28 Sep 2026
2.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 17 (maintenance)legislation.gov.uk · checked 28 Sep 2026
3.
Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (emergency escape lighting, testing and maintenance)GOV.UK (Home Office) · gov.uk · checked 28 Sep 2026
4.
BS 5266-1:2025 Emergency lighting: emergency lighting of premises, code of practiceBSI · knowledge.bsigroup.com · checked 28 Sep 2026
5.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 32 (offences)legislation.gov.uk · checked 28 Sep 2026
Guidance, not legal advice. This covers England and reflects the sources as checked on 28 Sep 2026. Check the official source or take professional advice for your situation.