Specialty Electrical Commissioning encompasses Fire Alarms, Mass Notification, Security, CCTV and many other “specialty” systems.  The most important and often performed of these disciplines is the Fire Alarm.  Before occupancy in a new building, with a fire alarm system, a code official conducts a fire alarm system test; a successful fire alarm system test is part of the requirements for a certificate of occupancy.

If the new building has the fire alarm system within its commissioning scope, then the commissioning consultant also conducts a fire alarm system test. Coordination between the commissioning consultant and the code official is required to avoid testing duplication.
The code official test can occur simultaneously with the commissioning test but the code official test usually involves less testing than the commissioning test.