An elevator belt monitoring apparatus includes a housing for receiving an elevator belt and a plurality of blade contacts which are operable to pierce the belt and engage the spaced parallel cords arranged within the belt. A plurality of bridge contacts are connected with adjacent pairs of elevator belt cords and signal contacts are connected with cords at the outer edges of the belts. The signal contacts are connected with a monitoring device which sends and receives signals to the contacts to provide an indication of the condition or deterioration of the belt.