Commercial exhaust hood repair in Los Angeles ranges from $200–$1,500 for labor depending on the issue. Common repair costs: hood motor replacement $260–$520, VFD controller $380–$820, NFPA 96 cleaning $300–$900. Our technicians service all of LA County for commercial kitchens — not residential. $120 diagnostic fee, waived with repair.
Commercial Price List · Los Angeles · 2026
Commercial Exhaust Hood Repair Cost in Los Angeles
Labor rates for commercial kitchen exhaust hoods — fan motor, VFD, make-up air, fire suppression linkage, motorized dampers, controls panel, NFPA 96 grease duct cleaning. Captive-Aire, Halton, Greenheck, Gaylord, VentMaster, Accurex. LAFD compliance documentation included on every service call.
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Typical Commercial Labor Range
$200–$1,500
Type I & Type II hoods · labor only
Commercial diagnostic$120
Applied to repairYes
Fan motor failure$260–$520
VFD / controls panel$380–$820
Grease duct cleaning$300–$900
Fusible link service$200–$420
After-hours emergency+$140
Warranty90 days
All prices are labor only. OEM parts quoted separately after on-site diagnosis. LAFD compliance documentation included.
Direct Answer — Commercial LA 2026
Scope & Pricing
Commercial vs Residential Hood Repair — Why Costs Differ
Residential range hood repair costs $85–$500 in LA — that’s a different service from commercial. Commercial kitchen hoods are larger (Type I exhaust hoods typically 8–12 ft), have grease management requirements under NFPA 96, and require licensed technicians familiar with VFD controllers, make-up air systems, and fire suppression integration.
If you’re searching for residential range hood repair cost, see our residential range hood cost guide instead.
How Commercial Pricing Works
A commercial hood repair quote isn’t one number — it’s the labor, the part, and the code state of what we leave behind
Commercial kitchen exhaust hoods are doing three jobs at once. They move grease-laden air out of the cooking area at rated CFM. They keep the kitchen at the right pressure relative to the dining room (negative pressure pulls cold conditioned air out of the dining room and into the kitchen — bad for guest comfort, bad for energy bills). And they integrate with a UL-300 fire suppression system that has to discharge into the duct and over the cookline if a flash fire ever happens. A failed exhaust fan doesn’t just make the kitchen hot — it can take the suppression system out of code if the linkage routing depends on the fan being live.
That’s why our commercial diagnostic is $120, not $89. The on-site assessment isn’t just “is the motor dead.” It’s motor electrical state, VFD signal, fan-belt and bearing condition, motorized damper sequence, fusible link integrity, manual pull-station test, micro-switch interconnect to the gas-shutoff solenoid, grease duct condition with photo documentation, make-up air balance reading, and code-state notes against the NFPA 96 baseline. The diagnostic ticket is a document the kitchen operator (and often the property manager and the insurance carrier) can read.
The repair quote that follows is built the same way — labor as a line item, OEM parts as a separate line item, code-related work flagged so you can decide what gets folded in. We don’t bundle it into a flat rate. A pure motor swap on a Captive-Aire reach-in fan with the duct in good shape is not the same job as a motor swap on a Halton with grease-clogged duct that has to come out of compliance. The price reflects what we actually do.
Why commercial labor runs $200–$1,500 instead of $100–$320 like residential: the equipment is heavier (rooftop motors are 3–10 HP vs. residential 1/4 HP), the access is harder (ladder or man-lift on rooftop fans vs. an under-cabinet hood you can stand in front of), the safety stakes are higher (suppression system tied to the fan power loop), the documentation requirement is real (a signed compliance ticket the operator can hand to LAFD or an insurance auditor), and the parts platform is engineered, not consumer (factory-direct controls boards, demand-control logic, NFPA-rated suppression linkage components). A $260 commercial fan motor labor line covers more discrete work than a $150 residential one — and the on-site time tracking reflects that.
One thing we do not do on commercial calls: assume. Every Type I hood gets the suppression linkage tested, every fan motor service includes a CFM verification at hood face, every grease duct cleaning includes before/after photos timestamped for the operator’s file. The diagnostic ticket is structured so it’s clear which work is the immediate fix, which is compliance-adjacent (recommended this visit), and which is future-state (next interval). Operators who get the same ticket from us six months in a row can see the equipment trend instead of guessing.
🔥 LAFD & NFPA 96 — what governs the work
Los Angeles Fire Department enforces NFPA 96 (Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations). Practical implications: hoods over solid-fuel cooking get monthly grease duct cleaning, standard commercial cooking gets quarterly, moderate-volume gets semi-annual, low-volume gets annual. UL-300 fire suppression systems require fusible link inspection at least semi-annually. We document compliance status with before/after photos on every service call — designed to satisfy LAFD walk-throughs and insurance audits without rework.
🔥 Type I — grease hoods (most foodservice)
Captures grease vapor from cooking surfaces — ranges, charbroilers, fryers, pizza ovens, woks. Required to integrate with UL-300 fire suppression. Stainless construction, baffle filters, sloped to drain into a grease cup. The hood class that drives most commercial repair calls in LA.
💧 Type II — vapor & condensate hoods
Captures heat, steam, and odor from non-grease equipment — commercial dishwashers, pasta cookers, steam kettles, low-temp ovens. No fire suppression required because no grease vapor. Often missed on cleaning schedules because they look “cleaner” — but condensate buildup can still drip into food prep areas.
Commercial Labor Rates — Los Angeles 2026
What commercial exhaust hood repair labor costs in Los Angeles
All prices are labor only. OEM parts quoted separately after on-site diagnosis. The $120 commercial diagnostic applies to the repair total when you approve the work.
| Repair Type | Labor Range | What’s Typically Involved |
|---|---|---|
Exhaust fan motor failure MOST COMMON Hood not pulling air, smoke staying in kitchen, fan won’t start | $260–$520 + commercial fan motor $300–$1,200 | Roof-mount or wall-mount exhaust fan motor replacement. Bearing inspection, capacitor test, belt-drive vs direct-drive assessment, rotation verification at rated CFM. |
Exhaust fan housing / blower wheel Vibration, grease imbalance, fan-shaft wear | $300–$680 + blower wheel or housing components | Blower wheel cleaning, balance, replacement. Belt drive belt and pulley replacement on belt-drive utility sets. Shaft seal service. |
VFD / variable frequency drive Fan speed control inoperable, error codes on display | $380–$820 + VFD $450–$1,500 | VFD diagnosis, replacement, parameter programming for the specific motor and fan curve. Common on engineered Halton, Gaylord, and Captive-Aire pull-down systems. |
Make-up air (MAU) system failure Negative pressure, doors hard to open, dining-room conditioned air pulling into kitchen | $340–$780 + MAU motor / damper / controls | Make-up air unit motor, supply air damper, control board, balance adjustment to match exhaust CFM. Critical for code and for guest comfort. |
Fire suppression linkage & fusible links CODE Annual fusible link replacement, manual pull station test, micro-switch interconnect | $200–$420 + fusible links $20–$50 each | Fusible link inspection and replacement (NFPA 96 / UL-300 requires annual at minimum), pull-station mechanical test, micro-switch interconnect to gas valve and fan power. We do not recharge chemical agent — coordinate with your suppression contractor for that. |
Grease duct cleaning — NFPA 96 compliance CODE Quarterly / monthly intervals depending on cooking volume | $300–$900 No parts — cleaning service | Grease duct cleaning to bare metal, access panel servicing, fan housing degrease, before/after photo documentation, signed compliance ticket designed for LAFD audits and insurance claims. |
Motorized damper failure Damper stuck open or closed, air bypass, code state compromised | $240–$520 + damper motor / actuator $180–$640 | Motorized exhaust damper, supply damper, balance damper. Actuator replacement, end-switch adjustment, control wiring. Damper failure on a Type I hood can take the suppression system out of code. |
Controls panel / electrical Hood won’t start, controls unresponsive, sequencing logic failed | $280–$620 + controls $400–$2,500 | Hood control panel, fan-light-suppression sequencing logic, contactor replacement, relay board service. Captive-Aire CORE / Halton M.A.R.V.E.L. / Gaylord pull-down panels are platform-specific. |
Captive-Aire pull-down station Demand-control ventilation not modulating, fan staying at full CFM | $320–$680 + sensor / controller | Temperature probe, optic sensor, demand-control logic board service. Pull-down systems save energy by modulating fan speed to actual cooking load — failure means the fan runs flat-out 24/7 (energy waste, premature motor wear). |
Hood balancing / airflow tuning CFM not matching design, kitchen pressure off | $260–$520 No parts unless dampers needed | Anemometer airflow measurement at hood face, pressure differential reading, supply / exhaust balance adjustment. Often part of post-construction commissioning or a re-balance after equipment changes under the hood. |
Sensor / temperature probe Hood control reading wrong temperature, sequencing off | $220–$440 + sensor $80–$320 | Hood-mounted temperature probe, duct-mounted sensor, optical sensor for demand-control. Calibration verification. |
Hood lighting & end caps Hood lights out, end-cap leak, baffle frame damaged | $200–$380 + bulbs / lamps / end-cap parts | Vapor-proof bulbs, ballasts (older units), LED retrofits, end-cap gasket service. Lighting failure under a hood is a slip-fall risk — we don’t leave it. |
Roof curb & penetration repair Water intrusion, curb gasket failure, fan-base seal compromised | $340–$780 + curb gasket / flashing / sealant | Roof-mount fan curb gasket service, fan-base seal, flashing repair around the duct penetration. Often discovered during a fan motor service call — water in the fan housing is rarely random. |
After-hours / emergency dispatch EMERGENCY Service outside Mon–Sat 8–8 window, mid-service-rush call | +$140 surcharge Added to base labor | Same labor rate as the underlying repair plus a flat after-hours surcharge. Friday-night dinner rush dispatches, Sunday emergency calls, weekday-pre-open emergencies. |
All prices are labor only. OEM parts quoted separately. $120 commercial diagnostic applies to the repair when you approve the work. Quote on-site before we start. Compliance documentation (before/after photos, signed ticket, NFPA 96 interval note) included on every call. 90-day warranty on labor and installed parts.
Cost Factors — Commercial
What drives commercial exhaust hood repair cost in Los Angeles
Six things move the number more than anything else. We surface each one in the on-site diagnostic so you see what’s driving the quote.
Cooking type and grease load
A wood-fire pizza hood and a steam-table hood both classify as commercial, but the grease load is night and day. Solid-fuel and high-BTU charbroiler hoods compound grease faster, fail dampers earlier, need more aggressive cleaning intervals, and burn through fan-motor bearings faster from the heavier loaded air. A repair on a high-grease hood is rarely just the broken part — the surrounding surfaces are usually overdue too. We surface that in the diagnostic so the quote isn’t a surprise the second time we’re out.
Hood class — Type I vs Type II
Type I hoods carry fire suppression integration, fusible links, motorized dampers wired to gas-shutoff solenoids, micro-switch interconnect to the fan power loop — more parts, more code touchpoints, more failure modes that interact. Type II hoods over dishwashers and steam equipment are mechanically simpler and cost less per failure, but they get neglected on cleaning rotations because they look cleaner than Type I — and condensate drip into food prep areas is a separate health-code issue we surface when we see it.
Fan placement — rooftop vs wall
Rooftop utility-set fans need ladder or man-lift access, weather coordination if it’s wet, curb-seal inspection if water intruded into the housing, and a longer round-trip per visit. Wall-mount fans (often older buildings or smaller kitchens) are faster to access but harder to balance acoustically and often share wall structure with neighboring tenants. The rooftop premium adds roughly 15–25% to labor on a typical motor swap, more on emergency winter calls.
Brand platform — engineered vs volume
Captive-Aire and similar volume manufacturers use widely-stocked OEM motor and controls platforms — fast turn, competitive parts pricing, multiple LA-area distributors stocking the common items. Halton M.A.R.V.E.L., Gaylord pull-down systems, and engineered packages often need factory-direct parts (3–7 day lead time typical, sometimes 2–3 weeks on legacy demand-control logic boards). We pre-screen brand-platform on the diagnostic call so the parts conversation starts immediately, not after a part fails to ship.
Code state at the time of service
If the duct is overdue for cleaning or the fusible link last passed three years ago, the repair has to bring the system back to NFPA 96 baseline before we leave it — that’s how the next inspection passes. Cost grows when a fan motor swap turns into a fan motor + grease duct cleaning + fusible link replacement, but the alternative (do the motor only and let LAFD find the rest) is a Notice of Violation on the next walk-through. We surface compliance status in the diagnostic so you can decide whether to fold it in this visit or schedule the rest.
Service window — scheduled vs emergency
Scheduled compliance work during off-hours is the cheapest path: full diagnostic time, no service-rush pressure, ability to coordinate with the suppression contractor or HVAC contractor when scope overlaps. A fan-down call mid-Friday-dinner-service runs the $140 after-hours surcharge, typically a more invasive diagnosis under time pressure, and a higher likelihood of staged repair (stop the immediate problem, return for the underlying fix). We prioritize Type I emergency dispatches because a fire-rated hood with no airflow is a real-time code violation.
Cost by Brand
Commercial exhaust hood repair cost by brand in Los Angeles
Brand platform dictates parts source, controls architecture, and factory lead time — all of which move the final repair cost. Most LA commercial kitchens run one of these manufacturers; we service all of them.
Engineered demand-control — $480–$1,200 motor, $620–$2,500 controls
Volume foodservice — $300–$820 motor, $400–$1,500 controls
Specialty & legacy — varies by parts availability
Brand platform notes — what changes by manufacturer
Captive-Aire dominates the LA volume foodservice market — widely-stocked motors, accessible CORE control panels, fast turn on most repair work. Halton and Gaylord run engineered demand-control systems (M.A.R.V.E.L., pull-down) — better energy economics when working but more expensive to repair when the demand-control logic fails. Greenheck is heavy on the upblast utility set fan side. Custom-fabricated hoods (often older LA properties from the ’80s and ’90s) need part-by-part diagnosis since there’s no factory parts catalog — we measure, source, and substitute compatible OEM components.
Cost by Hood Type
Commercial exhaust hood repair cost by hood configuration
Hood configuration changes access, code requirements, and the parts surface area we’re working with. A wall-mount canopy is not the same job as an island canopy on the same failure.
| Hood Type | Labor Range | Configuration Notes |
|---|---|---|
Type I wall-mount canopy Standard restaurant cookline against a wall | $260–$760 | The most common LA commercial hood configuration. Front-of-cookline access, standard baffle filter set, single-sided suppression nozzle layout. Baseline pricing for most Type I work. |
Type I island canopy Cookline floats — two-sided exhaust pull | $340–$1,100 | Two-sided baffle access, dual nozzle suppression layout, more complex airflow balancing. Common in open-concept kitchens, hotel banquet, demonstration cooking. Adds 25–40% to labor over a comparable wall-mount. |
Type I back-shelf hood Low-profile counter-mount over front-line cooking | $220–$680 | Used over hot-line equipment that doesn’t need a full canopy. Cafés, deli counters, breakfast lines. Smaller footprint = simpler repair surface but tighter access for fan motor work above the unit. |
Type I eyebrow hood Compact hood for pizza ovens, single-burner fry stations | $240–$640 | Small-footprint Type I canopies typically over a single piece of equipment — pizza deck oven, single-burner station. Smaller blower, simpler suppression. Pizza-oven eyebrow hoods over wood-fire need monthly compliance — the lighter price reflects size, not service interval. |
Type I demand-control / pull-down Halton M.A.R.V.E.L., Gaylord, Captive-Aire pull-down | $380–$1,500 | Engineered demand-control systems modulate fan speed to actual cooking load. Higher repair complexity due to sensor networks, demand-control logic boards, factory-platform parts. Better energy economics when working — but a control failure pulls the kitchen out of demand mode and adds operational cost on top of the repair. |
Type II vapor hood Dishwasher, steam kettle, low-temp oven hood — no fire suppression | $200–$540 | No UL-300 integration. Mechanically simpler — just exhaust fan, dampers, controls. Common service items: condensate drip from inadequate slope, fan motor failure from steam exposure, controls dampness. Cheaper per-failure but often neglected on cleaning rotations. |
Type II condensate hood Heavy steam capture — pasta cooker, steam kettles | $220–$580 | Engineered to capture and drain condensate without dripping into food prep. Drain-line maintenance is the recurring service item. Fan motor failures often trace to chronic steam exposure on motors not rated for the duty. |
Multi-hood system — whole-cookline Two or more hoods sharing a duct trunk and fire suppression network | $680–$2,400+ | Larger restaurants, hotel kitchens, food halls. Service often touches multiple hoods in a single call: shared duct trunk cleaning, multi-hood suppression linkage, fan-system balance. Multi-hood pricing per visit is more efficient than single-hood-at-a-time. |
Cost by Part
Commercial exhaust hood repair cost by replacement part
Part-level pricing for the failures we see most across commercial hoods in LA. OEM-equivalent or factory parts depending on availability. Labor is separate — combined total is labor + part.
| Part | Typical Part Cost | Failure Mode & Notes |
|---|---|---|
Commercial exhaust fan motor Belt-drive utility set or direct-drive upblast | $300–$1,200 volume: $300–$680; engineered: $780–$1,200 | Bearing failure (most common at 5–8 years on heavy-use hoods), capacitor loss, winding burn-out. Direct-drive motors run more expensive but lower maintenance long-term. |
VFD — variable frequency drive Speed control on engineered and demand-control hoods | $450–$1,500 factory-platform pricing on demand-control | Capacitor failure inside the drive, IGBT module burn-out, control board failure. Most VFD failures we see in LA correlate with grease ingress through ventilation slots over years — mounting location matters. |
Make-up air (MAU) motor Supply-air blower | $600–$2,000 includes packaged MAU rooftop unit motors | Bearing failure, control logic failure, gas-fired heating section issues on heated MAUs. Most LA make-up air calls trace back to neglected filter changes upstream of the motor. |
Hood control panel — volume platform Captive-Aire CORE / Trane / standard panel boards | $400–$900 | Contactor failure (most common), relay-board burnout, fan-light-suppression sequencing logic failure. Volume-platform parts widely stocked in the LA distribution chain. |
Hood control panel — engineered platform Halton M.A.R.V.E.L. / Gaylord pull-down / demand-control | $1,100–$2,500 | Demand-control logic boards, factory-direct sourcing, longer lead times (3–7 days typical, 2–3 weeks on legacy boards). Re-programming required after replacement to match site CFM and equipment list. |
Motorized damper & actuator Exhaust, supply, balance dampers | $180–$640 | Damper actuator motor (common failure), end-switch contact failure, damper blade frame damage. Stuck-open dampers waste conditioned air; stuck-closed dampers can take the system out of code under fire-mode logic. |
Fusible links Heat-sensitive fire suppression actuators | $20–$50 each typically 4–12 per hood depending on suppression layout | Annual replacement is NFPA 96 / UL-300 standard. Cheap parts — the labor (under-hood access, suppression-system pin cabling) is what you’re paying for. |
Manual pull-station components Fire suppression manual actuator | $80–$280 | Pull-handle replacement, breakable-glass front, mechanical linkage to suppression cabinet. Annual mechanical test as part of NFPA 96. |
Temperature probe & sensors Hood-mount, duct-mount, demand-control optical | $80–$320 | Probe degradation from grease exposure, calibration drift, sensor housing damage. More common on older platforms; modern sensors are more durable. |
Vapor-proof lighting Under-hood illumination — bulbs, ballasts, fixtures | $40–$240 | Bulb burn-out (frequent on incandescent and halogen, less on LED retrofits), ballast failure on older fluorescent fixtures, lens gasket failure. LED retrofits on legacy fixtures pay back in lamp-replacement labor savings. |
Belt drive components Belt, pulley, sheave on belt-drive utility-set fans | $40–$180 | Belt wear (annual replacement schedule on heavy-use rooftop fans), pulley misalignment, sheave wear. Cheap parts, frequent service item. |
End caps & baffle frame Hood structural detail components | $100–$420 | End-cap gasket replacement, baffle frame retention clip, hood-body seam sealant. Often surfaced during a cleaning visit when the rest of the hood is exposed. |
Service Agreements & Documentation
How commercial accounts work with us — agreements, multi-hood, documentation
Restaurant operators, hotel kitchens, and multi-location food groups don’t buy hood service the same way a homeowner buys range-hood repair. Different cadence, different stakeholders, different documentation. Here’s how the commercial relationship usually structures.
Scheduled compliance vs. ad-hoc service. Most LA commercial operators we work with run on one of two patterns. The first is scheduled compliance: we’re booked at the NFPA 96 cleaning interval that applies to the kitchen (monthly / quarterly / semi-annual / annual depending on cooking type), each visit covers grease duct cleaning + fusible link inspection + fan and damper sequence test, and any out-of-cycle issues get folded in at the same labor rate. The second is ad-hoc: operator calls when something fails, we dispatch, we fix it. Scheduled compliance costs less per visit on average because we’re not racing the dinner rush, and the operator carries less inspection risk because the kitchen is always within the compliance window.
Multi-hood and multi-location pricing. Operators with two or more hoods on the same site get a reduced second-hood diagnostic ($60 instead of $120) when both are serviced in one visit, plus more efficient labor on the duct trunk and shared suppression network because we’re already on-site. Restaurant groups with five or more locations under one operator move into a service-agreement structure: priority response (we hold a same-day slot for agreement accounts), consolidated invoicing, scheduled compliance across all sites coordinated to inspection windows, and a designated tech who knows the specific quirks of each kitchen. Pricing is published per agreement, not per call.
Documentation we leave behind. Every commercial service ticket we sign includes the same elements: scope of work performed, OEM parts installed with part numbers, before/after photos for any cleaning or compliance work, NFPA 96 interval note (when this kitchen’s next compliance work is due), code-state observation (anything we noticed during the call that’s not part of the immediate scope but should be addressed), and the tech’s name and BHGS / CSLB credential numbers. Operators on insurance audits can hand the ticket to the carrier without translation. Property managers running compliance for multiple tenants can drop tickets into the file. LAFD inspectors looking at the recent service history see exactly what was done.
Post-fire workflow. A flash fire in the cookline triggers UL-300 suppression discharge, gas shutoff, fan power kill. Hood is out of service immediately. We coordinate with the operator’s suppression contractor (Ansul-certified or Amerex-certified) on chemical recharge timing — we don’t do the chemical, they don’t do the hood mechanical. Our scope: full hood degrease post-discharge, fusible link replacement (always replaced after a discharge regardless of age), suppression linkage micro-switch verification, fan and motor electrical re-test, signed clearance ticket for the operator’s reopening packet (health department, LAFD, insurance carrier all want to see it).
Insurance and audit support. Commercial property carriers and business-interruption carriers increasingly ask for documented NFPA 96 compliance history before paying out claims tied to kitchen fires. The signed tickets we leave behind are designed to satisfy that audit without follow-up. If your specific carrier requires a particular documentation format (we’ve worked with format requirements from several major commercial carriers), send us the requirement and we adapt the ticket structure on subsequent visits. The compliance trail is part of what you’re paying for — not a bonus.
Repair vs. Replace
When commercial hood repair makes sense, when full replacement does
Commercial hoods rarely get replaced as a full assembly — the hood body, ductwork routing, and roof penetration are usually building infrastructure that outlives multiple operators. Repair is almost always the move; replacement is rare and project-scope work.
Repair makes sense when:
- Fan motor, VFD, MAU, or controls failure on an otherwise sound hood
- Suppression linkage components — fusible links, micro-switch, pull station
- Damper or actuator failure
- Compliance work — grease cleaning, fusible link annuals, code remediation
- Hood body and ductwork are structurally sound
- Operator wants to extend service life without capital project
Full replacement is the right move when:
- Hood body has structural corrosion from long-term grease exposure
- Cookline scope changed — equipment under the hood doesn’t match the original CFM design
- Code change requires Type I where Type II was installed (new fryer, new charbroiler)
- Demand-control retrofit makes sense for energy savings on heavy-use kitchens
- Tenant build-out — new operator wants different cookline geometry
- Insurance loss after fire damage that exceeds repair scope
Real Cost Examples
What recent commercial exhaust hood repairs actually cost in LA
Labor and parts shown as separate line items — how we quote and how we invoice. Six recent commercial calls across the territory.
West Hollywood Restaurant
"Exhaust hood fan died during dinner service"
Greenheck rooftop utility-set fan — bearing failure on a six-year-old direct-drive motor. Mid-service emergency dispatch, after-hours surcharge applied. Replaced motor, verified airflow at design CFM, signed compliance ticket for the operator’s records.
Labor (incl. after-hours)$420
Greenheck OEM motor$485
Diagnostic (applied)−$120
Total paid$785
Downtown Kitchen
"Hood making kitchen smoky — airflow seems weak"
Captive-Aire wall-mount Type I — grease duct 60% restricted with deposits. Quarterly NFPA 96 cleaning was four months overdue. Full duct cleaning to bare metal, fan housing degrease, before/after photo set. Airflow restored to design rating. Signed compliance ticket dated for LAFD walk-through.
Labor (cleaning)$540
PartsNone — cleaning service
Diagnostic (applied)−$120
Total paid$420
Hotel Kitchen, Mid-City
"Failed LAFD walk-through — need to recheck-pass in 14 days"
Three-hood Type I cookline (banquet operation). LAFD cited overdue grease cleaning, expired fusible links on two suppression zones, motorized damper stuck open on Hood 2. Single visit: full duct cleaning, fusible link replacement on all zones, damper actuator swap on Hood 2, signed remediation ticket designed for the recheck packet.
Labor (multi-hood)$1,180
Fusible links (12)$360
Damper actuator (OEM)$285
Diagnostic (applied)−$120
Total paid$1,705
Pasadena Pizzeria
"Post-fire reopening — need hood cleared before health inspection"
Wood-fire pizza oven flash fire — suppression discharged, kitchen evacuated, no structural damage. Coordinated with the operator’s Ansul contractor on chemical recharge. Our scope: full hood degrease post-discharge, fusible link replacement, suppression linkage micro-switch verification, fan and motor electrical re-test. Hood cleared for reopening.
Labor (post-fire scope)$680
Fusible links (4)$120
Diagnostic (applied)−$120
Total paid$680
Beverly Hills Hotel Kitchen
"Halton M.A.R.V.E.L. demand-control panel fault — fan stuck at full CFM"
Engineered demand-control system fault. Halton M.A.R.V.E.L. logic board failure pulled the system out of demand mode — fan running at 100% 24/7 (energy waste, premature motor wear). Factory-direct logic board, factory parameter programming for site CFM and equipment list. Demand-control function restored.
Labor (programming)$760
Halton OEM logic board$1,840
Diagnostic (applied)−$120
Total paid$2,480
Irvine Café
"Annual scheduled compliance — everything in one visit"
Café chain on a service-agreement track. Single Type I wall-mount over a flat-top and griddle. Scheduled annual: NFPA 96 grease duct cleaning, fusible link replacement on the suppression zone, hood face anemometer reading for compliance ticket, photo documentation set for the operator’s insurance audit folder.
Labor (scheduled)$340
Fusible links (4)$120
Diagnostic (incl. in plan)$0
Total paid$460
FAQ
Questions about commercial exhaust hood repair cost in Los Angeles
How much does commercial exhaust hood repair cost in Los Angeles?
Commercial exhaust hood repair labor in LA typically runs $200–$1,500 depending on the failure type and hood class. A fan motor swap on a Type I hood runs $260–$520 in labor. A VFD failure or controls-panel rebuild runs $380–$820. Grease duct cleaning for LAFD compliance runs $300–$900 depending on duct length and grease load. Parts are quoted separately after on-site diagnosis. The $120 commercial diagnostic fee applies to the repair total when you approve the work.
What is LAFD compliance for commercial kitchen hoods, and how does it affect repair cost?
Los Angeles Fire Department enforces NFPA 96 cleaning intervals: monthly for solid-fuel high-volume operations (wood-fire pizza, charbroil), quarterly for standard commercial cooking, semi-annually for moderate-volume kitchens, and annually for low-volume operations like reheat-only delis. Falling behind triggers an inspection fail at the next walk-through. We document compliance status on every service call with before/after photos and report the cleaning interval that applies to your kitchen. Compliance work itself doesn't add to repair cost — it's the same labor rate either way — but a hood that's failed inspection often needs full duct cleaning plus the underlying repair, which compounds the bill.
What is NFPA 96 and why does it matter for my repair quote?
NFPA 96 is the National Fire Protection Association's Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. It governs hood construction, duct material and routing, fan placement, fire suppression integration (UL-300), grease removal, and inspection intervals. LAFD enforces it in Los Angeles. Practical impact on your repair quote: any work we do has to leave the hood in NFPA-96 compliant condition. If we find a code issue during diagnosis — duct routing that violates clearances, missing access panels, suppression nozzles aimed wrong — we'll flag it on the quote so you can decide whether to fold the fix into this repair or schedule it separately.
How often do I actually need grease duct cleaning?
It depends on cooking type and volume. NFPA 96 sets four intervals enforced by LAFD: monthly (solid-fuel cooking, 24-hour high-volume), quarterly (standard commercial — most full-service kitchens), semi-annually (moderate volume), annually (low-volume reheat). A pizza place running wood-fire ovens nightly is on the monthly track. A breakfast café running flat-top until 2 PM is usually quarterly. We inspect grease load on every service call and tell you which interval your kitchen actually needs — not what the previous service company told you.
Who is responsible for commercial hood repair — landlord or tenant?
It depends on the lease. Most commercial restaurant leases in LA put kitchen ventilation maintenance squarely on the tenant — including grease cleaning, motor service, fire suppression service, and code compliance. Structural items (the hood body, the duct routing through the building, the roof penetration and curb) are usually landlord responsibility. We've worked enough commercial calls to read the situation: if you're not sure who pays, send us the relevant lease section and we'll help you scope which work falls under tenant maintenance vs. landlord capital. We invoice whoever is on the work order, not what we think the lease says.
What happens if I fail an LAFD inspection?
LAFD issues a Notice of Violation with a deadline to remediate — usually 30 days for routine items, faster for active fire-safety hazards (failed fusible link, broken suppression linkage, severely grease-clogged duct). The next inspection confirms compliance. Failing the recheck escalates: fines, kitchen shut-down order, business license issues. We turn around emergency compliance work same-day or next-day. Bring us the Notice of Violation and we scope the repair against the specific items LAFD cited so the recheck passes the first time.
Does my repair quote include fire suppression system service?
We service the linkage — fusible links, manual pull station, conduit routing, micro-switch interconnect to the gas shutoff and fan power. We do not recharge the chemical agent or service the suppression nozzles themselves. Chemical recharge after a discharge, or a full UL-300 system replacement, is done by an Ansul-certified or Amerex-certified suppression contractor. We coordinate scheduling with your suppression service vendor when both sides need work — common after a kitchen fire.
Do you offer multi-location or multi-hood pricing?
Yes. Commercial accounts with two or more hoods on the same site, or multiple sites under one operator, get reduced second-hood diagnostic ($60 instead of $120) when work is performed in the same visit. Restaurant groups with five or more units benefit from a service-agreement structure: scheduled compliance cleanings, priority response, and consolidated invoicing. Call and ask for the multi-unit rate sheet.
What insurance requirements affect commercial hood work?
Most commercial property and business-interruption policies require documented compliance with NFPA 96 and the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction — LAFD in LA). After a kitchen fire claim, the insurer typically asks for the prior 12 months of cleaning records, suppression inspection logs, and any service tickets that touched the hood. We provide signed service tickets with photos, scope of work, and compliance notes for every call — designed to satisfy the insurance audit on a claim. If your policy carrier wants specific documentation format, send us the requirement and we adapt the report.
What's the warranty on commercial hood repair work?
90 days on labor and 90 days on the parts we install, on commercial as on residential. Manufacturer warranty on parts is whatever the OEM offers and is in addition — often 1 year on motors and VFDs, 90 days on fusible links, longer on Captive-Aire factory components. We re-honor manufacturer warranty replacements during the labor warranty window at no labor charge.
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Commercial exhaust hood not working?
$120 commercial diagnostic, applied to repair. Same-day and emergency dispatch across LA, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. NFPA 96 / LAFD compliance documentation included on every service call.