Building Fire Codes and Requirements Follow the Regulations in your Area

5/25/2018 (Permalink)

Fires can disrupt a business operations or end a business altogether - follow the regulations in your area.

For businesses, your local Fire Marshal will have specific building fire codes and requirements for your local township as well as for your type of structure, given its age and type of business.

Generally all plans will include smoke detectors, illuminated exit signs, and certified inspected commercial fire extinguishers. You may be required to have a sprinkler or fire suppression system or alarm system.  Emergency exits and signage will be required.  Multi-unit or mixed-use commercial/residential buildings may have special requirements for common areas. The Fire Marshal routinely inspects commercial premises annually and will expect any noted or flagged items during the visit to be installed or remedied quickly for the followup visit.

New construction will have more comprehensive requirements, so working with the building department is advisable during planning stages. There may be extra requirements in the code, depending on the type of building and the scope of your business.  The NFPA, National Fire Protection Association has literally hundreds of reports on different standards for different applications, visible on their website.