Commercial Hood Installation | Mid-Atlantic Ventilation Experts | (800) 200-2134
Commercial kitchen hood system design, fabrication, and installation across DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Type I and Type II exhaust hoods, permit coordination, IMC-engineered CFM calculations, and NFPA 96 compliant builds. Call (800) 200-2134.
Commercial kitchen exhaust hood system design, fabrication, and installation for new construction and renovation projects across DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Type I and Type II systems, IMC-engineered CFM calculations, full permit coordination, and NFPA 96 compliant builds. Call (800) 200-2134.
Commercial Hood Installation: What It Involves
A commercial kitchen exhaust hood installation is a multi-trade project — it involves mechanical engineering (CFM calculation and duct design), sheet metal fabrication, fire suppression coordination, make-up air system design, and permit management across mechanical, fire protection, and sometimes electrical trades. Errors in hood sizing, duct slope, fan selection, or suppression system coverage area create compliance failures that are expensive to correct after installation.
We manage the entire installation process from concept to permit close-out: field measurement and kitchen equipment layout review, hood design to NFPA 96 and IMC standards, custom fabrication or stock hood selection, duct fabrication and installation, fan selection and mounting, suppression system coordination, and final inspection scheduling with the applicable jurisdiction building department and fire marshal office.
Installation Services
Type I Hood Systems
Type I hoods are required for all commercial cooking equipment that produces grease-laden vapors — fryers, griddles, charbroilers, ranges, woks, and ovens. NFPA 96 requires Type I hoods to be constructed of listed stainless steel or steel with listed grease-tight construction, with specific overhang and height requirements relative to the cooking equipment. We design and install Type I systems for all commercial cooking configurations, including custom hoods over non-standard cooking suite arrangements.
Type II Hood Systems
Type II hoods remove heat, steam, and odors from non-grease-producing equipment: dishwashers, steamers, coffee equipment, and low-temperature ovens. Type II systems do not require the grease-tight construction of Type I and do not require a fire suppression system, but they must still meet IMC minimum airflow and construction requirements. We design and install Type II systems for back-of-house utility areas and pass-through kitchen configurations.
Grease Duct Fabrication & Installation
NFPA 96 requires Type I grease duct to be fabricated from steel or stainless steel with liquid-tight continuous-weld construction — no spiral duct, no galvanized, no open seams. We fabricate and install NFPA 96 compliant grease duct from the hood plenum through the building envelope to the rooftop exhaust fan, with continuous-weld joints at every connection, required clearances to combustibles, and access panels at specified intervals per NFPA 96 Section 4.2.
Make-Up Air & Exhaust Fan
A properly designed kitchen ventilation system balances exhaust CFM with conditioned make-up air supply. Imbalanced systems cause negative pressure, door sealing failures, and combustion appliance back-drafting. We coordinate make-up air system design — either direct make-up air integrated into the hood or a separate MUA unit — with the exhaust fan selection to achieve the correct balance for your space. Rooftop fan installation with NFPA 96-required hinge kit included in all Type I installations.
Permit Management by Jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Permit Authority | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | DC Department of Buildings (DBO) | DC Construction Codes (2017 IBC/IMC) |
| Montgomery County, MD | MC Permitting Services (MCPS) | MBPS / 2021 IMC + NFPA 96 |
| Prince George’s County, MD | DPIE | MBPS / 2021 IMC + NFPA 96 |
| Fairfax County, VA | Fairfax County DPD | Virginia USBC / 2018 IMC + NFPA 96 |
| Arlington County, VA | Arlington CPHD | Virginia USBC / 2018 IMC + NFPA 96 |
We manage permit submissions, plan review responses, and final inspection coordination for all jurisdictions listed and the full Mid-Atlantic region.
Frequently Asked Questions — Hood Installation
How long does a commercial hood installation typically take?
A standard single-hood installation (hood, duct run, rooftop fan, and suppression system rough-in) in a new restaurant space typically takes 2–5 days of field work, depending on the building complexity and duct run length. New construction projects where the ceiling is open have shorter timelines than retrofit work in occupied buildings with finished ceilings. Permit processing adds 2–6 weeks depending on the jurisdiction — we submit permits early in the project timeline to prevent permit delays from impeding your opening schedule.
Can you replace an existing non-compliant hood in an operating restaurant?
Yes, but it requires careful scheduling. Hood replacement in an operating restaurant typically requires a kitchen shutdown window of 2–3 days minimum — the kitchen cannot operate without exhaust ventilation and the fire suppression system must be taken offline for part of the replacement process. We work with restaurant ownership to schedule replacement during low-volume periods (Monday–Tuesday being most common), and we have experience compressing the installation timeline to minimize revenue impact.
Do you handle the fire suppression system portion of the installation?
Yes. We install the hood, duct, and fan system and coordinate the fire suppression system installation as part of the same project. We work with our licensed suppression system technicians to design and install the Ansul R-102 or equivalent wet chemical system sized for the cooking equipment configuration under the hood. The suppression system is designed to the listed system parameters for the specific hood and cooking equipment, and the complete system — hood, duct, fan, and suppression — is submitted as a single coordinated permit package to the applicable jurisdiction.
Mid-Atlantic Hood Installation
DC · Maryland · Virginia · PA · NYC — design, fabrication, permit, and installation from one team.
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