Michigan fire code

Michigan fire marshal

The state fire marshal leads the Bureau of Fire Services, which oversees and applies the Michigan Fire Prevention Code. The governor picks the fire marshal, and the role calls for a decade or more of experience. Based in Lansing, the bureau sits inside the Department of Labor and Economic Growth, the name the act gives it.

When a local governing body asks by resolution, the bureau can hand enforcement over to certified full-time fire inspectors from that community's fire department. That authority runs up to 2 years at a time and can be renewed in 2-year stretches.

Does a rule not fit your building? You can request a variation from the state fire marshal, and it's granted as long as it puts neither lives nor property at risk.

The bureau may charge hospitals and schools fees for plan review and construction inspection, and hospitals may also pay operation inspection fees. The state sets those fees each year in the appropriations act.

How do state and local rules fit together?

Nationally recognized fire protection standards form the basis of state fire rules. New codes get their first approval from the Construction Code Commission together with the State Fire Safety Board, and the State Legislature follows. The "Code Books" section kept by Licensing and Regulatory Affairs documents each adoption.

Even where local inspectors handle enforcement, cities, villages and townships may still pass their own fire safety ordinances. Ann Arbor's fire department, as one example, set April 27, 2025, as the start for enforcing the 2021 International Fire Code.

Certified fire alarm and sprinkler firms

Michigan requires the Bureau of Fire Services to set certification rules for firms that install, test, service or inspect fire alarm and fire suppression systems. The term qualifying person means someone the firm employs who meets state requirements, and rule R 29.2803 requires every certified firm to keep at least one on staff.

A new certification runs $150.00 and is good for 3 years. Renewals cost $150.00 too. New firms turn in a qualifying person affidavit. When architects and licensed professional engineers submit alarm or suppression drawings for approval, they are exempt.

Any time a required system goes in or gets changed, the certified firm files plans with the bureau on form BFS-979. Once the review is done, the firm gets a 12A form, which the qualifying person signs and sends back with a documentation fee. Have certification questions? Call the bureau's Plan Review Division.

Detroit fire permits and inspections

The Fire Marshal Division in Detroit upholds the city's Fire Prevention and Protection Ordinance along with NFPA standards and the Michigan Building Code. Inspectors there carry out life safety inspections in every occupied building. All business types in Detroit need a fire permit renewed each year.

• Self re-inspection: this program is open to businesses under 2,000 square feet that are low-hazard and lack complex fire safety systems.
• Plans: send fire alarm and suppression plans through the city's Accela system for new construction, a change of use or a major renovation.
• Acceptance testing: the division runs or observes required fire protection system testing.
• Special events: get your application in at least 60 days ahead of the event.

A current fire safety permit is required for bars and restaurants. Inside these spaces, open flames, sparklers, fireworks and pyrotechnics are banned without the Fire Marshal's approval and permit. Cooking operations must have approved hood and suppression systems that get inspected and serviced on a routine basis. In 2025, the division inspected more than 400 bars and restaurants. Call the division for inspections or questions.

Fire extinguisher rules for workplaces

The workplace extinguisher rules in Michigan, MIOSHA General Industry Standard Part 8, became effective February 2, 2024. They adopt the federal OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.157.

Trained persons with suitable equipment must perform hydrostatic testing, which is a pressure test of the extinguisher. Employees learn how to use extinguishers when they're hired and at least once every year.