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Official Briggs & Stratton warranty & serial services

Read the plate. Check the evidence.

Briggs & Stratton engine serial and date-code lookup

Decode the engine CODE date, or use verified 1924–1925 serial intervals when the antique model is FC.

Browse Briggs & Stratton manuals and guides →
Find the serial or date-code label ↓

Check a documented system

What’s on the rating plate?

Briggs & Stratton engine CODE numbers from the system introduced in 1965; limited antique Model FC serials.

Spaces and dashes are accepted. Check O/0 and I/1, and keep any leading zeros.

Checks ENERGY STAR model records and searches manuals separately from the serial. Certification records do not establish this unit’s manufacture date.

Known product context (optional)

Choose a system only when it matches the product family and its documentation. A purchase year or a manual’s publication date does not establish a manufacturing date.

Explore a sourced example:

Read the label on your product

Where to find the numbers.

Find the complete serial and any separately labelled date, product or model code. Compare your device with the matching product family below.

Lawn-mower engines

Look for
Engine Model / Type / Code
Label location
Model / Type / Code markings may be stamped on the blower housing, muffler heat shield, above the spark plug, fuel tank or engine-block base. Position depends on the engine.
Format / what to enter
Use the eight-digit CODE for the modern date decoder.

Do not substitute numbers from the emissions label. Follow the model-specific instructions if a cover conceals the markings.

Briggs & Stratton: Model, Type and Code locations ↗

OHV generator engines

Look for
Engine Model / Type / Code
Label location
Many horizontal-shaft OHV engines have their identification stamped on the rocker cover. A decorative outer cover can conceal it.

Use the engine markings rather than the complete generator serial or emissions-label numbers.

Briggs & Stratton: Model, Type and Code locations ↗

Early cast-iron engines

Look for
Serial number
Label location
Identify the model series and serial independently before consulting the manufacturer-hosted antique chart.
Format / what to enter
Model-scoped serial intervals, not YYMMDD codes.

The automatic historical subset covers only Model FC, 6100–7669. The source supplies additional early series but they are not extrapolated here.

Briggs & Stratton hosted early-engine manufacturing chart, Model FC, PDF page 3 ↗

Scope matters

Supported formats
and historical limits.

  • The engine CODE, engine serial and complete machine serial are different identifiers. An engine build date is not necessarily the mower or generator assembly date.
  • The last two modern CODE digits identify a plant and assembly line, but a verified geographic mapping is unavailable here.
  • Antique support is restricted to Model FC, serials 6100–7669. Other early models remain available in the linked historical chart.
  • The historical chart was compiled by Bob Learned and is hosted by Briggs & Stratton. Its introduction warns that accuracy cannot be guaranteed; some other series contain non-monotonic entries.

Research reviewed October 16, 2026. This independent tool applies published rules and retains unresolved years and model candidates.

Source references

Engine CODE: YYMMDDxx

Engine CODE-number system introduced in 1965.

The first six digits give year, month and day. The final two identify the plant and assembly line; their geographic location is not established. The manufacturer explains 99011556 as 15 January 1999.

Confirm this is the engine CODE from its Model / Type / Code identification, rather than an equipment serial number.

Antique Model FC: verified monthly serial intervals

Only Briggs & Stratton Model Series FC, serials 6100–7669, 1924 to June 1925.

Enter the separately identified model FC. The first accepted value is the exact first published cutoff, 6100; no range before that or after 7669 is assumed. The chart gives month-level dating, not a calendar day.

Reading your result

Briggs & Stratton lookup questions

Why does the year code match more than one year?

Some systems reuse letters or only encode the last one or two year digits. Every supported interpretation is retained. A decade supplied from reliable records can narrow the reading; the tool does not automatically pick the newest year.

Does the serial identify my exact model?

Usually the model is a separate plate field. Where published serial ranges actually identify a model, the result shows model candidates and links to their manuals. Overlapping ranges remain ambiguous.

Can I share the result?

After a lookup, the address includes the serial in a fragment beginning with #serial=. Use “Copy share link” to share the serial and selected context. Opening the link runs the same lookup. The fragment is not a query-string result page.