FDNY Certificate of Fitness (2026): Exam Format, Fee and How to Apply

An FDNY Certificate of Fitness (COF) is the card the Fire Department of the City of New York issues to people who do certain dangerous jobs: fire guards, torch operators, the people who inspect sprinkler systems and many more. In the FDNY's words, under the New York City Fire Code a COF is needed to "manufacture, store, handle, use, maintain, inspect, test or transport certain materials", to "conduct certain operations" and to "operate certain facilities". For the F-01, F-03/F-04, F-07, F-60 and G-60 certificates the booklets list no alternative issuance procedure: you get one by passing a computer exam at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn (with one shortcut: the F-03/F-04 booklet says someone who passes the F-03 may pay an additional $25 to get the F-04 without taking the F-04 exam). This guide sets out the current process from the FDNY's own pages, the format of five common exams, and what renewal costs. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of the FDNY (Fire Department of the City of New York) or the City of New York. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from the FDNY pages and study booklets listed at the foot of the page.

FDNY General Notice of Exam (revised 07/2023), FDNY Certificates of Fitness page and NYC Business F-60 page, read 23 Oct 2026.

The FDNY Certificates of Fitness page says "All Certificate of Fitness (COF) transactions must be done online" and that applicants taking an exam "must complete Certificate of Fitness (COF) application and payment online before coming to FDNY Headquarters." Older FDNY documents still describe in-person steps: the S-12 booklet an in-person application, the 2023 General Notice in-person renewal, and the NYC Business pages submitting materials in person or by mail. The S-12 booklet and several NYC Business pages also list cash as a way to pay, while the General Notice says cash is not accepted. The FDNY Certificates of Fitness page says all transactions are online and cash is no longer accepted; follow that page, and check it before you go.

Not working yet? The General Notice says applicants who are not currently employed may take the exam without the employer documentation; if they pass, the FDNY issues a temporary letter with a picture for job-seeking, and the card itself is issued once they are employed and provide the documents. That does not apply where a certificate has a school requirement: then the exam cannot be taken until the school is completed. Applicants must be at least 18 and have a reasonable understanding of English. Fee waivers: the FDNY page says fee exemption applies to NYC city agency employees with a recommendation letter on agency letterhead; the older General Notice speaks of government employees who will use the certificate for work and also asks for a copy of the agency identification card. Testing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act are requested on the FDNY's Test Accommodation Request Form.

The booklets also tell you, in their own words, not to ask staff about the questions: FDNY staff cannot assist applicants with their tests. If the computer has a problem, ask the examiner in the room.

Each certificate's study booklet gives its own number of questions and time. The time follows the number of questions, at about one and a half minutes a question for most exams (our arithmetic). Five of these have independent practice exams on ProSyllabus (linked below).

Two details from the booklets: the F-03 exam covers the whole F-03/F-04 booklet, while the F-04 exam covers it except the section on theaters; and the S-12 exam covers chapters 1 to 16 of the S-12/S-15 booklet. On the S-12 the FDNY provides reference material in the room, including a sprinkler temperature rating table and inspection, testing and maintenance reference guides.

The codes are easy to mix up, and holding the wrong one does not let you do the job. Here is what the FDNY booklets say about the common fire guard and torch certificates.

The FDNY booklets include only three sample questions, about the exam room itself; the F-01, F-60, G-60 and S-12/S-15 booklets say these show the format of the exam questions, not the content of the real exam. These two are our own, written from the FDNY study booklets in the same four-option style.

Study the scope your booklet gives: the F-01, F-03, F-60 and G-60 booklets say the exam covers the entire booklet; the F-04 exam leaves out the theater section; the S-12 covers chapters 1 to 16 of its booklet. You cannot use the booklet during the exam, so the work is learning its rules well enough to recall them: the distances, the times, who may do what and in which order. Read your certificate's booklet once straight through, then again by part, and test yourself against the clock. The F-60 booklet also tells fire guards to be familiar with NFPA 51B and Fire Code Chapter 35, beyond what the booklet covers.