Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Brazil
Brazil has no single federal lift law: technical requirements come from ABNT NBR standards (the NBR 16858 series, aligned with the EN 81 structure, for new passenger lifts) and lifts are licensed and supervised by municipalities. In São Paulo, Lei Municipal 10.348/1987 requires a permit for each lift, a maintenance contract with a conservation company registered with the Prefeitura, and an annual inspection report (RIA, Relatório de Inspeção Anual) issued by that company, which the owner must post and deliver to the Prefeitura each year. Engineering services require a CREA-registered responsible engineer and an ART (Anotação de Responsabilidade Técnica) under federal Lei 6.496/1977.
Who regulates lifts
Municipal governments (e.g. Prefeitura de São Paulo, inspection via SEGUR); ABNT issues the technical standards; CREA/CONFEA regulates engineering responsibility
Periodic inspection
São Paulo: annual RIA issued by the registered maintenance (conservation) company, delivered to the Prefeitura; Prefeitura charges a yearly lift inspection fee (Taxa de Vistoria). Other municipalities set their own rules.
Installer and maintenance licensing
São Paulo: maintenance companies must be registered with the Prefeitura (renewed every two years) and register a responsible engineer; engineering work requires a CREA-registered engineer and an ART per Lei 6.496/1977.
Laws, codes and standards
- Lei 6.496/1977 (1977) — Federal law instituting the ART (Technical Responsibility Annotation) for engineering servicesMandatory · Federal law · Federal government (CONFEA/CREA system)
- Lei Municipal 10.348/1987 (São Paulo) (1987) — São Paulo municipal law on licensing, installation and maintenance of liftsMandatory · Municipal law, city of São Paulo · Câmara Municipal / Prefeitura de São Paulo
- Lei Municipal 12.751/1998 (São Paulo) (1998) — São Paulo law on safety notices in lift cars (RIA posting and annual delivery to the Prefeitura)Mandatory · Municipal law, city of São Paulo · Câmara Municipal de São Paulo
- ABNT NBR 14364 — Elevator and escalator - Inspectors of elevators and escalators - QualificationVoluntary · ABNT
- ABNT NBR 16083 (2012) — Maintenance of lifts, escalators and moving walks - Requirements for maintenance instructionsVoluntary · ABNT (Comitê de Máquinas e Equipamentos Mecânicos, CB-04)
- ABNT NBR 16734-1 (2022) — Escalators and moving walks - Part 1: Safety requirements for construction and installationVoluntary · ABNT
- ABNT NBR 16858-1 — Lifts - Safety rules for the construction and installation - Part 1: Passenger and passenger/goods liftsReferenced by law · Referenced in municipal practice and public procurement; ABNT standards are generally voluntary unless cited by regulation · ABNT
- ABNT NBR 16858-2 (2020) — Lifts - Part 2: Design rules, calculations, examinations and tests of lift componentsVoluntary · ABNT
- ABNT NBR 5665 — Traffic in lifts (minimum conditions for passenger-lift traffic calculation in buildings)Voluntary · ABNT
- ABNT NBR NM 313 (2007) — Passenger lifts - Safety requirements for construction and installation - Particular requirements for accessibility of persons including persons with disabilityVoluntary · AMN (Mercosur) / ABNT CB-04
Lift associations and bodies
- Brazilian Association of Lift Companies (ABEEL)
- Union of Lift Companies of the State of São Paulo (SECIESP)
- ABNT Brazilian Committee for Mechanical Machinery and Equipment (ABNT/CB-04)
Last verified 2026-10-17. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.