Permit required/ MN

Ron Musgraves

Ron Musgraves

Exterior Restoration Specialist
Staff member
I would say this is a big step in preventing fires, if I was going to model a code requirement this one would seem to be sensible.
http://www.ci.edina.mn.us/PDFs/L5-31b_PermitCommercialCookingVentilationAppPDF.pdf

I spoke with Karen Brentson the assist to the Fire marshal for this city today.
Tom Jensen is the current fire marshal for this city.

Interesting, each time a KEC hood is cleaned in this town and other in the metro area they require and onsite inspection by their fire dept personnel.
Permit relatively inexpensive, around 85 dollars for this city. Cities around her vary.

I thought this was very interesting, she doesn’t mind if you want to ask questions. The program has been in place since she has work for the dept. 10 years
I was wondering, do other places require this? Is this unique?
 
I know nothing about hoods, but if I read this right a permit for $85 is required prior to each cleaning?

How many restaurants in that city?

The hood guys, like the rest of us, get lowballed already, add $85 and every restaurant owner and manager will be crying poverty.

The double edged sword, enforcement may lead to more frequent (and if done right time consuming) cleanings, but the added expense would probably drive the price down.
 
The price for the permit wouldn't bother me as much as the delay "emergency calls" would create.
 
I've heard of another city requiring this type of permit, but I can not place it. $85 seems a bit much for a permit. I could see if part was refunded after an inspection passed. I'm guessing that the $85 helps cover labor for a full system inspection by the inspector after the cleaning. I would probably choose to avoid this city if it were in my service area, seems to much af a hassle, and I already give enough of my money to the figgin government.
 
I would gladly service restaurants in that area. The $85.00 permit would be a line item charge, and I would charge x-amount for waiting on the Fire Department.
 
So....what if I do 3-4 per night? Are they gonna follow me around all night? I personally think it's pretty stupid. I like the idea behind it, but the implementation is retarted.

It has been my experience that most of the fire inspectors can't inspect properly on the current daily routines. They don't open up access panels, they normally don't get on roofs to look at fans unless they can see grease running down from the street, they don't even pull filters most of the time unless it's an owner change or something like that. If they would just do that, and enforce their policies that are already in place, then we would be much better off.
 
Looks like they copied these guys

http://www.propowerwash.com/board/upload/showthread.php?t=4515

This will never happen in a city with a significant population. Those cities have a combined total of 71 restaurants (Edina 40 Brooklyn Park 31)

If something like this gets enacted in any major city, inspections of kitchen exhaust cleaning work, I will re enact my run down the halls of the Hotel Del Coronado with "I Love IKECA" painted on my chest.
 
The food places are required to have them cleaned. They must do it on a regualar basis.

The hood guys in the area meet and they police the KEC industry themselves.They call and let the Fire inspector they are no longer servicing the establishment. Then the inspector calls the place and gets the new companys name.

Matt, Certiainly I see your points of larger citys. I think your 20 location in not and accurate account of KEC in this area. Grocery stores, walmarts and other places have hoods. I think we could ad places that might never clean the KE's if a system like this was not in place.

The panels cannot be closed until the inspector signs off, they do inspect the fans and go onto the roof. (I asked these questions)

I see the issue of having to wait for the inpsector. I'm sure they are recieving compensation for the time.

If all the places are required then they must be charging accordingly.
 
OK lets say there are 100 total, and we split them 50 50 between the cities. Thats 1 hood a week that the FD's have to inspect. Heck lets raise it to 100 per city and say they have to look at 2 whole hoods a week. I am sure most FD's could swing that.

The problem is most couldn't handle 10 a week in the larger areas unless they had a guy that did just that. Not just looking at them but documenting discrepancies, filing reports, issuing citations.

It won't happen in our lifetimes, not in anywhere significant. We need to police ourselves and hold ourselves accountable. Let the FD's know that there is a way that fire safety in restaurant hoods can be achieved without added man hours to the FD's.
 
They can inspect anytime-all they have to do is do it. They don't need a permit. The problem is that they just don't do good inspections and as often as they should. I run accross units that never have seen a fire inspector. The permit is just a tax and I will bet that it will take weeks to sign off. Call a fire agency and report a system that is out of complyence-they are not happy to get the call-trust me.:(
 
David Saulque said:
They can inspect anytime-all they have to do is do it. They don't need a permit. The problem is that they just don't do good inspections and as often as they should. I run accross units that never have seen a fire inspector. The permit is just a tax and I will bet that it will take weeks to sign off. Call a fire agency and report a system that is out of complyence-they are not happy to get the call-trust me.:(
Click to expand...

I can vouch for that!:mad:
 
The core problem as far as I am concerned is that the AHJ’s are shielded from all liability. If they ok a unit and it burns down that night – “Oh Well”. In police work an officer can be brought up in civil court for damages. Nothing will be done until the AHJ’s are trained properly and become part of the soup line. In Sacramento and surrounding community’s we have 12,000 eating establishments and I would guess that less than 10o/o are inspected and they are the high profile units.
 
MN permits

Ok, Ron i read the thread and the replies it has gotten. Well i can tell the forum all about this and the headaches that come with it. My business is in Minneapolis Minnesota. There are several cities here in minnesota that require a permit and inspection upon completion. First there is the city of Edina, then the city of innergrove heights, Eden prairie, West St. Paul, and the last is Golden Valley.

Yes, each city is different, matter of fact i went to a job estimate today in the city of West St. Paul permit cost $35(Chinese grease...yuck) and i asked the last time it was cleaned, they informed me 4 months ago and they wanted to get a price cause they would have it cleaned in two more months!!! The state of minnesota requires cleaning every 6 months...and in the cities that dont require permits or inspections the most places go a year or longer without a cleaning. Now, i dont mind permits and inspections...actually i'd rather have them to show how great my work is, but when its been 6 months since the last cleaning and there is massive ductwork and access panels it can turn into a headache very fast.

I believe someone in the thread said something to the effect that the inspections are not very through...haha i wish they werent...but actually you can not dry or polish the hood or close access panels or fan until inspected...and yes the inspectors look at every single panel, fan blades, and even behind fan blades...if there is any grease then either you pull out your equipment again and make it perfect or they will FAIL you, if you just leave and say we ll come back another day...guess what? Yes another permit fee!!! Now i do believe that in the cities that require permits and inspections then they should have a city law that says that each establisment has to be cleaned every 3 months no matter what...only fair to cost of overhead of employees wages, gas, inflation...etc Myself, i try to stay away from certain businesses in those cities (Chinese grease) cause its like taking a water balloon to a gun fight.
 
MBRYAN, every single business with an exhaust hood gets inspected in those cities. I have done a movie theater (popcorn hood) and had to call the fire inspector out to inspect my work before we left the site. What happens is when you pass and he signs a paper, gives you a copy, and puts the orig in his files to show that the business had it done and was passed. The only upside i see to it, is it doesnt allow "joe nobody" that doesnt have insurance and is not a certified company to come in and do it for cheap. I can only guess at how many resturants in those cities, but i can tell you there is costos, sam's clubs, k marts, walmarts, theaters, nursing homes, schools, hotels, homeless shelters, churchs...etc in those cites so alot of places being inspected.

On a different note...can anyone help me and point me in the direction of a foamer...i have heard so much about them but yet to get one...i would like to buy one. Hey BUNN saw the utube video...nice, so was urs grease police. Foamer looks like it works great...
 
Thats pretty gnarly, I can't wait till that stuff spreads out here to Cali, the fire inspectors are in for a real treat here if they start inspecting exhaust hood systems.

You can get a full foamer set up at Delco www.pressurewash.com if you want to get in to it. Foamer, compressor, and foaming agent from them will run you about $1000 to get started.
 
Thx alot Matt, appreciate that on the foamer. I can't believe cali doesnt have that...iam a cali guy, born and raised in long beach, and would of thought at lease the smaller cities would have it. iam have a go at that foamer, but is it so different then a hudson sprayer???
 
perfectionist said:
Thx alot Matt, appreciate that on the foamer. I can't believe cali doesnt have that...iam a cali guy, born and raised in long beach, and would of thought at lease the smaller cities would have it. iam have a go at that foamer, but is it so different then a hudson sprayer???
Click to expand...

Not one city out here has anything like that. I don't blame them, I am sure they have better things to do than check on hood cleaners. I mean how many kitchen exhaust fires happen? You only see a few of them out here every year.

The foamer is a little bit different than a Hudson sprayer. It is a lot more set up, but it sprays more so it goes on faster.

The foamer in this video is the same as the Mean Foamer 5 from Delco:

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