# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PE-13(4) — Inspections - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-13-4-inspections - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › PE — Physical and Environmental Protection - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `PE-13(4)`·high·Component: **Physical and Environmental Protection** ## What this control requires > Conduct fire protection inspections at the facility with organization-defined frequency by authorized, qualified inspectors, resolving identified deficiencies within an organization-defined time period to ensure safety and compliance. This control supports the Fire Safety System capability within the Physical and Environmental Protection family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control PE-13(4) ### In plain English Conduct fire protection inspections at the facility with organization-defined frequency by authorized, qualified inspectors, resolving identified deficiencies within an organization-defined time period to ensure safety and compliance. In practice, this means you can prove you policy management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## What an auditor looks for A 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Physical and Environmental Protection**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control PE-13(4)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Physical Security **Inheritance.** For cloud-only operations, inherit physical controls from the provider's SOC 2 / ISO 27001 report and document the inheritance in the SoA. #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Physical.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Environmental.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, organization, system, time, protection, compliance, time period, capability. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Inspections. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.316(b)(2)(i)** — Documentation - Time Limit](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-316-b-2-i-documentation-time-limit) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.7.3** — Securing offices, rooms and facilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-7-3-securing-offices-rooms-and-facilities) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.4.11** — Information Location](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-4-11-information-location) - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control PE-1** — Policy And Procedures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-1-policy-and-procedures) - [**Control SC-45(1)** — Synchronization With Authoritative Time Source](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-45-1-synchronization-with-authoritative-time-source) - [**Control PE-21** — Electromagnetic Pulse Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-21-electromagnetic-pulse-protection) - [**Control SC-39(2)** — Separate Execution Domain Per Thread](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-39-2-separate-execution-domain-per-thread) - [**Control PE-18** — Location Of System Components](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-18-location-of-system-components) - [**Control PL-6** — Security-Related Activity Planning](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pl-6-security-related-activity-planning) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control PE-13(4)` Topics: governance riskphysical securitypolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.