UL labels on paint booths and finishing equipment are a crucial factor for building inspectors, but they can lead to a great deal of confusion and frustration for a shop trying to get their equipment up and running when it’s not entirely clear what is required.
What’s the real deal when it comes to UL labels on components vs. UL labels for the entire paint booth system?
We recently had this question come in through the GFS Finishing Academy from a reader concerned about UL labels on his paint booth equipment. Our code compliance experts provided some insight on what to do.
Q: “I have purchased a booth and have my electrical contractor and plumber pulling permits to do some work, but the building inspector wont let them because I don’t have a UL label on the booth. But all my electrical components have a label listed on them. What do I do? Thanks!”
A: National codes and standards do not specifically require paint spray booths to be listed assemblies. This does not necessarily mean that the local authority can’t add the requirement. Standard spray booths may have a listing, but custom booths typically do not. Where the booth assembly does not have a listing you could have the booth field listed by an agency acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. This can become quite expensive and fewer agencies are offering this service.
We recommend that you get clarification on the requirements from the local authority (in this case it would be the building inspector). If the booth utilizes listed components and you can demonstrate that it meets the local and/or national codes and standards you may find that it is acceptable to the local authority.
