Elevator Phone Line Replacement and Monitoring
Elevator Emergency Phone Requirements, the ASME A17.1 Code, Cellular Upgrades and What Each Car Costs
AT&T can start discontinuing copper service November 15, 2026 in parts of 18 states, and every car still needs an emergency phone your inspector accepts. Send us every building's lines: the providers that fit price each car at once, we negotiate, and it costs you nothing.
Price My Elevator LinesThis page is for organizations with elevators in more than one building, or 20 or more lines across their sites, whether that is 3 buildings or 300: property managers, campuses, health systems, hotel groups, public agencies. The job is not one phone. It is every car's line, carrier notices arriving building by building, a monitoring contract and an inspection for each car. Every other copper line you run, from fire panels to fax, is covered on our POTS line replacement page.
The FCC's March 2026 order (FCC 26-19) applies a 31-day automatic grant to every carrier's application to discontinue service, and under AT&T's January 2026 approval, copper service in parts of 18 states can be discontinued starting November 15, 2026. Our copper retirement tracker lists the states and dates.
Sources: AeroCom published price guide, August 6, 2026 (per-line range); ASME A17.1-2019 requirements summary, sections 2.27.1.1.5 (backup power), 2.27.1.1.6 (line check) and 2.27.1.1.2 (unanswered calls).
What Elevator Phone Lines Cost Across a Portfolio
Elevator lines are priced per car, so cost scales with the portfolio. Here is one illustrative portfolio at each published per-line rate.
Shown for context, not as a forecast: North Carolina's state IT department published these sample rates after AT&T did not renew the state's contract. They show why contract end dates matter.
Sources: AeroCom published price guide, August 6, 2026 (replacement range and legacy lines over $100); North Carolina Department of Information Technology, AT&T Sample Tariff Rates (rates effective January 1, 2026; the state notes sample rates may not reflect final pricing and exclude surcharges and fees). The portfolio is illustrative; totals are MCA calculation, 120 lines × each per-line rate. Monitoring, hardware and installation are quoted separately. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Your line list goes to the replacement providers that fit on the same day. Call one yourself and you negotiate alone: once you ask a provider for pricing directly, it usually will not register an advisor on the deal.
Line service, backup power, the second network path, monitoring, hardware and installation, priced the same way by each provider, so you compare real totals, not headline rates.
Your carrier's own replacement is one choice, not the only one. We price it next to the other providers that fit, car by car.
The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing. If you have one building with a couple of elevator lines, your carrier's own replacement may be the simplest answer, and we will say so.
Elevator Emergency Phone Requirements (ASME A17.1)
ASME A17.1 is the safety code for elevators and escalators that state and local authorities adopt into law, and section 2.27.1.1 sets the elevator emergency phone requirements. The rules apply to the communication path, not to copper, so they travel with the car to whatever replaces the line. Section numbers below are from the 2019 edition; your jurisdiction may enforce another.
| Section | What the code requires | What it means for the replacement line |
|---|---|---|
| 2.27.1.1.1Staffed location | Two-way communication between the car and a location staffed by authorized personnel who can take appropriate action. | The new path has to deliver every call to people, whether your answering point is an on-site desk or an outside monitoring center. |
| 2.27.1.1.2Unanswered calls | A call not acknowledged within 45 seconds goes automatically to an alternate location, on or off site. | The rollover number has to be programmed on the new device and tested, not assumed to carry over. |
| 2.27.1.1.3Inside the car | No handset; a button marked with the PHONE symbol; calls not routed to an automated answering system; the building location and elevator number available to the person answering on demand; under the 2019 edition, messages on an in-car display and video of the car. | The device must pass each car's identity to whoever answers, and in 2019-edition cars it must carry video and text as well as voice. |
| 2.27.1.1.4Outside the car | Where the elevator rises 60 feet or more, emergency personnel in the building must be able to reach each car individually, without any intentional delay. | In taller buildings, each car needs its own reachable path, which bears directly on shared lines. |
| 2.27.1.1.5Auxiliary power | If the communication system is connected to normal building power, it switches automatically to auxiliary power when that fails and keeps the communications running for at least 4 hours. | The battery has to cover the cellular or IP equipment and anything it depends on, including network switches if the path runs over the building network. |
| 2.27.1.1.6Line verification | The telephone line, or an equivalent such as VoIP, is checked automatically, continuously or at least daily. A failure lights an "ELEVATOR COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE" signal and sounds an alarm at the designated landing near the fire recall switch. | The new path must answer the daily check. A device that does not will trip the failure signal in the lobby. |
Source: ASME A17.1-2019 requirements summary, section 2.27.1.1.1 through 2.27.1.1.6, paraphrased. Read the edition your jurisdiction enforces for the full text.
Does an Elevator Phone Need a Landline?
No. An elevator emergency phone needs a working two-way path to a staffed location, and the code does not say that path has to be copper. The daily line check in ASME A17.1 section 2.27.1.1.6 is written for "the telephone line or equivalent means," naming VoIP, network and intercom as examples. North Carolina's state construction office says compliance with the 2019 edition may be more readily addressed using cellular or IP solutions. The replacement has to keep every function the copper line delivered, and your elevator inspector has to accept it.
Elevator Phone Without a Landline: The Replacement Paths
| Path | How it works | What to check for each car | Usually fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cellular line replacementOften called LTE or POTS over cellular | A device near the elevator controller converts the car's analog phone to a cellular connection, often with a second carrier or a wired connection as backup, and a battery built in. | Signal where the device sits, battery hours against the 4-hour rule, the daily line check, and that the car's identity reaches whoever answers. | Most portfolios, and buildings where the phone should not depend on the tenant or office network. |
| IP over the building networkVoIP or a network gateway | The car's phone, or a gateway serving it, connects through the building's own internet service and network. | Backup power for every switch and router in the path, the internet service's reliability, and who is responsible when the network changes. | Buildings with a managed network on backup power and a 24-hour staffed desk on site. |
| The carrier's own replacementOffered as the copper is retired | The carrier moves the line to its own broadband-based or wireless product. | The same code points as any other path. A carrier product is not automatically suited to elevator use. | A few buildings inside one carrier's territory. |
| Stay on copper for nowA bridge, not a plan | The existing line stays in service until the carrier's notice for that wire center takes effect. | Notice letters for each address, contract end dates, and what the rate becomes when the contract ends. | Buildings outside any current notice area, while the rest of the portfolio moves first. |
Our POTS replacement providers compared page sets out how the main services differ, and the POTS line replacement hub compares POTS line vs VoIP vs cellular for every line type.
Elevator Phone Cellular Upgrade: Coverage Where the Device Sits
A cellular elevator phone is only as good as the signal where its device sits, usually beside the elevator controller in a machine room, often in a basement, or in a landing control cabinet. Concrete and steel cut signal. The provider's engineers survey each building before installation and specify an external antenna or a different carrier where the reading is weak. Ask for the survey results building by building before you sign.
The 2019 Edition: Video and Text for Passengers Who Cannot Speak or Hear
The 2019 edition of ASME A17.1 added communication for passengers who cannot speak or hear. As Elevator World summarizes it, monitoring personnel must be able to see into the car through one-way video and send prewritten text messages to an in-car display. The requirements apply to elevators permitted for construction or modernization after the local authority adopts the code.
North Carolina's state construction office, for example, says elevators permitted since June 30, 2020 must comply with the 2019 edition, that the state's Department of Labor may decide a change in telephone service triggers a full communications upgrade, and that replacing the handset or call button in the cab will likely trigger the 2019 requirements. A phone line project can become a modernization question.
| The car's situation | Which requirements usually apply | What to ask before you replace the line |
|---|---|---|
| Permitted under the 2019 editionNew or modernized after local adoption | Voice, video and text, each car reachable individually, 4 hours of power, daily line check | Does the replacement carry video and text as well as voice, and does the battery cover the video equipment? |
| Older car, line swap onlyNo change to the in-car equipment | The edition in force when the car was permitted, unless the inspector treats the change as an upgrade | Will the inspector accept a like-for-like path change, or does it trigger the current edition? |
| Older car, new phone or call buttonIn-car equipment replaced | Likely the current adopted edition, in North Carolina's reading the 2019 edition | Should the line project wait for, or be folded into, a planned modernization? |
| Modernization already plannedController or cab work scheduled | The current adopted edition | Can the new communication path be specified once, for the modernized car, instead of twice? |
Sources: Elevator World, "Eyes and Ears," April 2020; NC State Construction Office, POTS Copper Telephone Line Replacement Service Requirements and Options. The right-hand columns are Metro Colo Advisory's reading; your inspector's decision governs.
Industry analyses of the FCC's March 2026 order put the gap between a customer notice and disconnection at as little as 90 days (source: vCom, July 16, 2026). That is not long to survey, install and get every car inspected across several buildings. Send the notice letters with whatever line list you have; the addresses alone are enough to start. You'll hear back within 24 hours. For organizations with multiple locations or 20 or more lines.
Elevator Phone Monitoring: Who Answers the Call
Elevator phone monitoring is the staffed service that answers emergency calls from elevator cars, 24 hours a day. When the line changes, the answering point does not have to, but the new path to it has to be tested car by car.
The passenger presses the PHONE button. No handset. The person answering can get the building location and car number on demand.
Cellular or IP in place of copper, on battery for at least 4 hours if building power fails.
A person answers, on site or off site. Not answered in 45 seconds, the call rolls to an alternate location.
Source: ASME A17.1-2019 requirements summary, sections 2.27.1.1.1 through 2.27.1.1.6, simplified by Metro Colo Advisory. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Who Can Be the Staffed Location?
An on-site security desk
Fits buildings with a desk staffed around the clock. A desk that closes at night is not a 24-hour answer, and the 45-second rollover still needs an alternate location.
The elevator maintenance contractor
Some maintenance contracts include, or can add, a call center that answers entrapment calls and dispatches a technician. Check the contract before the line changes.
A specialist monitoring company
Companies that answer elevator calls as their business; Kings III is one known elevator phone monitoring company.
Monitoring bundled with the replacement
Some replacement services include answering, or a portal that alerts you when a line fails its check. Ask for it as a separate line item so you can see what it costs.
Where the path carries video, Elevator World's guidance is that camera feeds should not be exposed to the public internet and that communication should be encrypted both ways. If the path runs over your own network, those rules belong with your managed firewall services provider, and the circuits and failover design with whoever runs your SD-WAN.
One Line per Car or a Shared Line?
Some buildings run several cars on one phone line. It saves line charges and raises the question inspectors care about: what happens when two cars call at once. Elevator World lists whether a system is line sharing or line seizing, and how it handles simultaneous entrapments, among the questions to ask. North Carolina's state construction office recommends that any replacement meet the single-line standard, a line dedicated to each elevator cab, and notes that the 2019 edition requires individual pathways so off-site monitors can call back the specific elevator.
| Question | Shared line | One line per car |
|---|---|---|
| Two entrapments at once | Depends on how the system shares or seizes the line; one call may wait | Each car has its own path |
| Calling back a specific car | Harder; the answering point may reach the group, not the car | Direct, which is what 2019-edition cars need |
| Line count to price | One per bank or building | One per car |
| Inspector acceptance | Varies by jurisdiction and edition | The recommended practice in North Carolina's guidance |
Elevator Phone Monitoring Cost and Line Cost
Elevator line quotes that look alike can include very different things. Compare these lines, provider by provider, for every car.
| Cost line | How it is usually priced | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Line serviceThe replacement path itself | Per line per month; about $40 to $60 in a published 2026 price guide | Line count, a second carrier or wired path, and how many lines share one appliance |
| Backup power | Included by some providers, extra with others | Battery hours against the 4-hour minimum, and whether network gear must be covered too |
| MonitoringThe staffed answering point | Per car or per line per month, bundled or separate | Who answers, video and text handling for 2019-edition cars, and dispatch terms |
| Hardware and installation | One-time per site, or folded into the monthly rate | Antennas where signal is weak, cabinet work, and site count |
| Elevator contractor time | Quoted by your maintenance contractor | Testing each car, reprogramming the rollover, and any in-car equipment changes |
| Inspection and permits | Set locally | Whether the change is treated as a line swap or an upgrade |
Source: AeroCom published price guide, August 6, 2026, for the line range and backup power being included by some providers and charged by others; it names elevator and fire alarm lines as cases for a second SIM. Other rows are Metro Colo Advisory's checklist, not prices.
Send the building list, what each line runs, contract end dates and who monitors the phones today. No full inventory? A recent phone bill is enough to start. The providers that fit quote line service, backup power, monitoring and installation for every car, and we negotiate before you sign. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing. For organizations with multiple locations or 20 or more lines.
Four Elevator Line Mistakes That Cost a Portfolio
Canceling copper before the inspector signs off
Keep the old line until the new path has passed its test and the inspector has accepted it. A car with no working phone may have to come out of service.
Leaving the monitoring company out
The answering point has to receive calls, car identity and, in newer cars, video and text from the new path. Bring it in before cutover.
Treating the carrier's replacement as the only option
Your carrier's product is one choice. The right path depends on each building's signal, network and inspector.
Asking for quotes building by building
A provider asked about one building prices one building. Put the whole list in front of the providers that fit at once.
Replacing Elevator Phone Lines Across Multiple Buildings
Building and car number, the phone number, shared or dedicated, the carrier, who answers, the edition each car was permitted under, and the next inspection date.
Addresses with notice letters, or in wire centers already approved for discontinuance, go first.
Confirm with each authority having jurisdiction whether a path change is a line swap or an upgrade, and whether shared lines will be accepted.
The chosen provider's engineers check signal and power at each controller location and specify antennas or a second carrier where needed.
Line up cutovers with your elevator contractor's visits and the inspection calendar, so each car is tested once.
A live call, the 45-second rollover, the car's identity and the daily line check, recorded for each car. Then give notice on the old lines and stop paying for both.
Elevator lines rarely travel alone. The same buildings carry fire panels, alarm panels, gates and call boxes, and the rollout is cheaper planned together. See our guides for property management, retail and restaurants, banks and credit unions, and schools, hospitals and public buildings. For the fire panels in the same buildings, see fire alarm phone line replacement; for the dates driving all of it, the copper retirement tracker.
How We Place POTS Replacement
You send the line list
The number of buildings, the cars and lines in each, what each line runs (elevator, fire alarm, alarm panel, fax, gate or call box, ATM or payment terminal, voice), your current monthly bill or a recent invoice, any carrier notice letters, contract end dates, and who monitors the elevator phones today. Rough numbers are fine.
We run the providers that fit, at once
The providers that fit your buildings, line types and carriers see the same list on the same day, so quotes compare car by car.
The provider's engineers survey the sites
Signal, power, equipment location and the technical questions about your elevators go to the provider's engineers. We do not install equipment or monitor calls.
We negotiate and you sign
Price per car, backup power, monitoring, installation, term and what happens when a building is sold, settled before you sign.
The provider pays us
The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing. More on how Metro Colo Advisory works.
Elevator Phone Lines: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an elevator phone need a landline?
No. ASME A17.1 requires a working two-way communication path to a location staffed by authorized personnel, and its daily line check covers a telephone line or an equivalent such as VoIP. Cellular and IP paths can meet the code. The local elevator inspector decides whether a specific replacement does, so confirm it before cutting over.
What are the elevator emergency phone requirements?
Under ASME A17.1 section 2.27.1.1, each car needs two-way communication with a location staffed by authorized personnel, a rollover to an alternate location if a call is not answered within 45 seconds, at least 4 hours of auxiliary power, and an automatic line check at least daily. The 2019 edition adds video and text messaging for passengers who cannot speak or hear. The edition your jurisdiction has adopted decides which apply to each car.
Can an elevator emergency phone use a cellular line?
Yes, if the cellular path meets the same code requirements and the inspector accepts it. North Carolina's state construction office says compliance with the 2019 edition may be more readily addressed using cellular or IP solutions. Check the signal where the device will sit, usually beside the elevator controller, and confirm the battery covers at least 4 hours.
What is elevator phone monitoring?
Elevator phone monitoring is the staffed service that answers emergency calls from elevator cars, 24 hours a day. It can be an on-site security desk, the elevator maintenance contractor's call center, a specialist monitoring company, or a service bundled with the replacement line. The code requires a person to answer, not an automated system.
How much does elevator phone monitoring cost?
Monitoring is quoted per car or per line, either bundled with the line or as a separate charge, so ask for it as its own line item. For the line itself, a published 2026 price guide puts POTS over cellular at about $40 to $60 per line per month, and elevator lines often price at the upper end or above because they often need backup power and a second path. Hardware and installation come on top unless the provider folds them into the monthly rate.
Does each elevator need its own phone line?
It is the safer plan, and for newer cars it may be required. North Carolina's state construction office recommends a line dedicated to each elevator cab for any replacement, and says the 2019 edition requires individual pathways so off-site monitors can call back the specific elevator. Shared lines also raise the question of what happens when two cars call at once.
Does the 2019 edition of ASME A17.1 require video in elevators?
Yes, for the elevators it applies to. The 2019 edition requires one-way video of the car for monitoring personnel and text messages on an in-car display, so passengers who cannot speak or hear can communicate. It applies to elevators permitted for construction or modernization after the local authority adopts that edition.
How long must an elevator emergency phone work on backup power?
At least 4 hours. ASME A17.1 section 2.27.1.1.5 requires the communications to switch automatically to auxiliary power after a power failure and keep running for at least 4 hours. If the replacement path runs over the building network, the routers and switches it depends on need that backup too.
What happens if an elevator phone line stops working?
The elevator is required to tell you. Section 2.27.1.1.6 requires an automatic check of the line at least daily, and a failure lights an ELEVATOR COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE signal and sounds an alarm at the designated landing near the fire recall switch. The system keeps checking at least every 5 minutes until the line is restored.
Does replacing an elevator phone line trigger a code upgrade?
It can. North Carolina's state construction office notes that the state's Department of Labor may decide a change in telephone service triggers a full communications upgrade, and that replacing the handset or call button in the cab will likely require compliance with the 2019 edition. Ask your elevator inspector before the work is scheduled.
Who approves an elevator phone line replacement?
The local authority having jurisdiction, usually the state or city elevator inspector, accepts or rejects it. The replacement provider's engineers survey the sites and install the equipment, and your elevator maintenance contractor typically tests each car. Confirm the approach with the inspector before the first building is cut over.
Can we keep our current elevator monitoring company?
Usually, yes. A replacement line can carry calls to the same staffed location that answers today, as long as that location receives calls from the new path and the car identity and rollover number are set up on the new device. Confirm both with the monitoring company before cutover, and test every car after it.
What do we send to get our elevator lines priced?
The number of buildings, the cars and lines in each, what each line runs, a recent invoice or your current monthly bill, any carrier notice letters, contract end dates, and who monitors the elevator phones today. Rough numbers are fine, and a recent phone bill is enough to start. Send it before you request quotes, because once you ask a provider for pricing directly it usually will not register an advisor on the deal. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
Send the Line List Before You Request Quotes
Send the list before you ask any provider for pricing: once you do, that provider usually will not register an advisor on the deal, and you negotiate alone.
Send the building list and what each line runs, or just what you have: a recent phone bill or a list of addresses is enough to start. You'll hear back within 24 hours, we line up the providers that fit, and their engineers handle the site surveys. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing. For organizations with multiple locations or 20 or more lines. If you have already spoken to one provider, tell us which; we can still run the rest of the market.
POTS replacement: POTS line replacement, the copper retirement tracker and POTS replacement providers compared.
Life-safety lines: fire alarm phone line replacement under NFPA 72, and the areas of refuge and blue-light phones covered in schools, hospitals and public buildings.
By industry: property management, retail and restaurants, banks and credit unions and schools, hospitals and public buildings.
The network around it: SASE and SD-WAN, managed firewall services and IT infrastructure consulting.
