Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Venezuela
Venezuela has national lift and escalator standards (COVENIN 621 'Código nacional para ascensores de pasajeros' in parts, incl. 621-4 equipment and 621-5 maintenance; COVENIN 623-5 goods lifts; COVENIN 625-72 escalators). SENCAMER (Servicio Desconcentrado/Autónomo Nacional de Normalización, Calidad, Metrología y Reglamentos Técnicos, Ministry of Commerce) lists as its legal basis for lifts Decreto N° 344 (conformity of vertical lifting equipment: passenger and goods lifts, montacargas; Gaceta Oficial 33.115, 29/12/1984) and Resolución N° 2696 (rules for companies providing maintenance of passenger/goods lifts, montacargas, escalators and ramps; 5 Sep 1986). SENCAMER inspects lift-service companies and residential/commercial lifts against COVENIN standards described as mandatory, and keeps a register of lift-service companies. After the 24 June 2026 earthquakes the Caracas fire service suspended lift use (29 June 2026) and required a technical report from a SENCAMER-registered lift company before reactivation; in July 2026 the government announced a transitional measure allowing non-registered private technicians, not confirmed as published. The Ley de Arrendamientos Inmobiliarios (1999, art. 12) obliges landlords to contract specialised lift maintenance for rented property.
Who regulates lifts
SENCAMER (Ministry of Commerce) — inspection of lift-service companies and lifts under Decreto 344 / Resolución 2696; municipal fire services (Bomberos de Caracas) for post-earthquake reactivation
Periodic inspection
No fixed statutory interval found. SENCAMER inspects lift-service companies and residential/commercial lifts (2023 'Plan de Reimpulso'); owners rely on maintenance contracts; post-earthquake (2026) reactivation required a technical report from a SENCAMER-registered company.
Installer and maintenance licensing
Lift maintenance companies are regulated by Resolución 2696 (1986) and are invited/expected to register with SENCAMER; SENCAMER publishes a register used by municipalities (Baruta, 2026). Whether registration is a strict licence was not confirmed.
Laws, codes and standards
- Ley de Arrendamientos Inmobiliarios, art. 12 (1999) — Real Estate Leases Law, article 12 (landlords must contract specialised lift maintenance)Superseded · Decreto N° 427, Gaceta Oficial N° 36.845, 7 Dec 1999; housing provisions repealed 2011; disapplied for commercial premises 2014 · Republic of Venezuela
- Decreto N° 344 (1984) — Decree 344 on the conformity of vertical lifting equipment (passenger lifts, goods lifts and montacargas)Mandatory · Presidential decree, Gaceta Oficial N° 33.115 of 29/12/1984 (as listed by SENCAMER) · Government of Venezuela (listed by SENCAMER)
- Resolución N° 2696 (1986) — Provisions for companies providing maintenance of passenger and goods lifts, montacargas, escalators and rampsMandatory · Ministerial resolution dated 5 Sep 1986; SENCAMER cites Gaceta Oficial N° 33.549, the Ministry of Commerce cites Gaceta Oficial N° 32.142 (conflict unresolved) · Ministry (listed by SENCAMER / Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Comercio Nacional)
- COVENIN 1018 (1978) — Requirements for pressurisation of means of escape and lifts in buildingsReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER under its lift legal basis · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 1720 (1998) — Steel wire ropes for lifts and montacargas (2nd revision)Referenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER under its lift legal basis · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 2241 (1990) — Firefighters' preferential call system in liftsReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER under its lift legal basis · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 2294 (1985) — Geared traction machines for liftsReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER under its lift legal basis · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 621-1 (2002) — National code for passenger lifts — Part 1: safety requirements for construction and installation of electric passenger liftsVoluntary · FONDONORMA / COVENIN
- COVENIN 621-3 (1997) — National code for passenger lifts — Part 3: vertical trafficVoluntary · FONDONORMA / COVENIN
- COVENIN 621-4 (1995) — National code for passenger lifts — Part 4: Equipment and machineryReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER among COVENIN standards it inspects against; Ministry of Commerce describes the sector's COVENIN standards as mandatory · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 621-5 (1994) — National code for passenger lifts — Part 5: MaintenanceReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER among COVENIN standards it inspects against; Ministry of Commerce describes the sector's COVENIN standards as mandatory · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 623-5 (1997) — National code for goods liftsReferenced by law · Listed by SENCAMER under its lift legal basis · COVENIN / SENCAMER
- COVENIN 625-72 (1972) — Safety standard for escalatorsVoluntary · COVENIN
Lift associations and bodies
- Caracas Fire Service
- National Service for Standardisation, Quality, Metrology and Technical Regulations (SENCAMER)
- Venezuelan College of Engineers (CIV)
Last verified 2026-10-20. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.