Mike - good call.  Technically the certificate of occupancy shouldn't be approved without one being in place.  Glad you're out there catching them!

this is why I like built -ins, but great point.  We never had that as kids

Lately most of my inspections have revealed the same thing missing from the free standing units.  I was guilty myself on my last home.  I think 95% of the home owners get the appliance installed by the selling store and of course they don't install them and the consumer has no idea it's not there till an inspection catches it.

Penny: You are rigth about the CTO shouldn't be approved, but I haven't found one official yet in my area who catches them, many over worked and unable to spend the time in each home.

Dave: If I remember correctly and I don't have any references handy (and have many cobwebs in my mind) seems the manufactures and building officals started placing warnings/labels, etc. around 1985.

Joel & Teresa: Reminded me of a home a couple of weeks ago where the homeowner was home during the inspection, she was house-bound (broken leg or soemthing), before I finished explaining what the problem was, she was on the phone to the department store asking the service manager why her "Brand New" stove didn't have an anti-tip device . . . they said they'd be right out to finish the installation.

Hi Mike,

You pointed out an interesting and valuable safety feature for homes!

It's amazing how people miss critical points of contact!

Mike, these things are intersting devices.  I look for them all the time and would have to say that my installed/not installed ratio is a "little" better than yours----but not much.  I had one appliance company tell me that they don't install them for "liability" reasons (in case the thing pulls out of the floor after being installed).  This logic boggles the mind when the Manufacturers instructions speifically require it to be installed.  Maybe they need to make it so that the stove won't function unless engaged:)  (That is one heck of nice picture by the way)

Dan: I think most home inspectors look for this in homes, plus many, many more items, but this anti-tip brackets seems to be missing way to much.

Charles: It seems like it goes in spirts, (like you can'f find one if you inspected 500 homes) and aways when the buyer is standing next to you as you inspect, and you say something like: "I'll bet a dollar the anti-tip bracket is not in place", the buyer goes "huh?,  and you go looking and I'll be but it's installed. Go figure - Let me know if you need the original picture, more than will to send your way.

Mike, I especially pay attention to these on the light-weight cheapo dollar-three-eighty-seven stoves, the Five Star's and Gaggeneau's you couldn't tip over with a tank:)

Charles: Never thought about a tank tipping your stove over :)

You are so right on how important these are! People if you don't think they are important, I want you to go to your range right now, open the front door and push down on it lightly, see how quickly that tipped over on you! Now, imagine if it was at 400 degrees and you slipped and it now did that on you or your child. Ready to put it on now?

or Todd, a safer way to look is to pull the botton drawer out and look for the device at one of the back feet . . . once when I opened the front door and pushed down, everything come tumbling off the stove (no one was hurt, stove was off, falling objects included salt and peper shakers, a cooking spoon and hot pad . . . just forgot to clear the stove top) . . . a couple of pictures might help . . .

You can see how the back leg of the stove in locked into position once the bracket is installed correctly . . .

Notice the leg position, slipped back into place inside the bracket . . . side note, this stove was inspected in a two year old home, notice the gas connection . . . the fexible gas line was never installed, no wonder the stove didn't operate properly . . . just little things we see everyday as inspectors.