Uniformat D5090

Exit sign

An exit sign lasts about 10 years, the median of 2 published sources, which state 5–25 years.

Also listed as exit light, running man sign

• Confidence C
• Version 0.3.0 (permanent link)
• Reviewed 2026-10-22

Service life

Years in service. The band runs from the shortest to the longest life the sources state, so it shows how much they disagree, not how long 80% of units last. The line is the median of the stated lives.

Work out when yours is due for replacement

Basis

• 5–10 years · CNA e-Tool Estimated Useful Life Table, p15 · HUD CNA 3.6.2.6 “Emergency lights, illuminated signs” — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (planning life)
  Family properties 5 years, elderly 10. US multifamily housing. HUD gives emergency lights and illuminated signs one row.
• 25 years · UFM 3-601-02 Fire Protection Systems Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance (Unified Facilities Manual, 13 March 2026), p83 · Figure 2-3 note 1 “"LED egress marking devices without battery backup are considered to have a 25-year service life. (Consult the manufacturer's technical materials for specific guidance.)"” — U.S. Department of Defense (Unified Facilities Criteria program) (planning life)
  Printed page 76. LED exit signs (egress marking devices) without battery backup, i.e. powered from an emergency/generator circuit. Battery-backed units need battery or unitized-fixture replacement every 5 to 10 years per manufacturer guidance (p.83, not transcribed as a life), so this value does not describe battery-backed signs.

How sources are chosen and recorded: sourcing policy.

Preventive maintenance

3 tasks in 1 work order.

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8
9. 9
10. 10
11. 11
12. 12Annual

Months from the schedule start. Download the tasks as CSV for a CMMS, or ask the MCP tool get_pm_schedule for dated visits.

Frequencies are ISO 8601 durations in the data (P3M = every 3 months).

Open questions

• Every source here is a published planning, design or accounting life. None is observed replacement data.

Know the answer? Send it with a source to [email protected].

Cite this

Citation

unfinished.one (2026). Exit sign, v0.3.0. https://unfinished.one/c/exit-sign/v/0.3.0

BibTeX

@misc{unfinished_exit_sign_0_3_0,
  title = {Exit sign},
  author = {{unfinished.one}},
  year = {2026},
  version = {0.3.0},
  url = {https://unfinished.one/c/exit-sign/v/0.3.0},
  note = {CC BY 4.0}
}

Licence CC BY 4.0 · How to cite · JSON · Versions: 0.3.0, 0.2.0, 0.1.0