(a) General. All facilities with two or more floor levels shall have at least one electrical or electrical hydraulic elevator. Elevators shall also give access to all building levels normally used by the public. Escalators and conveyors are not required but, when provided, shall comply with these requirements and the requirement of §18-3 of the National Fire Protection Association 101, Code for Safety to Life from Fire in Buildings and Structures, 2000 edition (NFPA 101), published by the National Fire Protection Association. All documents published by the NFPA as referenced in this section may be obtained by writing or calling the NFPA at the following address and telephone number: Post Office Box 9101, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269-9101, (800) 344-3555.
(b) Requirements for new elevators, escalators, and conveyors. New elevators, escalators and conveyors shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, 1996 edition, published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). All documents published by the ASME/ANSI as referenced in this section may be obtained by writing the ANSI, United Engineering Center, 345 East 47th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017.
  (1) Cars and doors. Cars of "hospital type" elevators shall be at least 5 feet 8 inches wide by 8 feet, 6 inches deep. The car door opening shall be not less than 4 feet wide and 7 feet high.
  (2) Leveling. All elevators shall be equipped with an automatic leveling device of the two-way automatic maintaining type with an accuracy of one-half inch.
  (3) Operation. All elevators, except freight elevators, shall be equipped with a two-way service key-operated switch to permit cars to bypass all landing button calls and be dispatched directly to any floor.
  (4) Accessibility of controls and alarms. Elevator controls, alarm buttons, and telephones shall be accessible to wheelchair occupants.
  (5) Type of controls and alarms. Elevator call buttons, controls, and door safety stops shall be of a type that will not be activated by heat or smoke.
  (6) Location. Conveyors, elevators, dumbwaiters, and pneumatic conveyors serving various stories of a building shall not open to an exit.
  (7) Elevator machine rooms. Elevator machine rooms that contain solid-state equipment for elevators having a travel distance of more than 50 feet above the level of exit discharge or more than 30 feet below the level of exit discharge shall be provided with independent ventilation or air conditioning systems required to maintain temperature during fire fighters' service operation for elevator operation. The operating temperature shall be established by the elevator equipment manufacturer's specifications and shall be posted in each such elevator machine room. When standby power is connected to the elevator, the machine room ventilation or air conditioning shall be connected to standby power.
(c) Requirements for existing elevators, escalators, and conveyors. Existing elevators, escalators, and conveyors shall comply with ASME/ANSI A17.3, Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators, 1995 edition. All existing elevators having a travel distance of 25 feet or more above or below the level that best serves the needs of emergency personnel for fire fighting or rescue purposes shall conform to Fire Fighters' Service Requirements of ASME/ANSI A17.3 as required by NFPA 101, §9-4.3.2.
(d) Testing. All elevators and escalators shall be subject to routine and periodic inspections and tests as specified in ASME/ANSI A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, 1996 edition. All elevators equipped with fire fighter service shall be subject to a monthly operation with a written record of the findings made and kept on the premises as required by NFPA101, §9-4.6.
(e) Certification. A certificate of inspection evidencing that the elevators, escalators, and related equipment were inspected in accordance with the requirements in Health and Safety Code (HSC), Chapter 754, Subchapter B, and determined to be in compliance with the safety standards adopted under HSC, §754.014, administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, shall be on record in each facility.
(f) Requirements for new facilities. All new facilities having patient facilities (such as patient sleeping rooms, dining rooms, diagnostic, therapy or recreation areas) on floors other than on the main entrance floor shall have the following number of elevators:
  (1) two elevators for the first 200 bed spaces; or
  (2) three elevators for 201 to 350 bed spaces;

Source Note: The provisions of this §510.124 adopted to be effective January 1, 2004, 28 TexReg 5154; transferred effective June 1, 2019, as published in the Texas Register May 17, 2019, 44 TexReg 2469