North Carolina fire code

Which fire code applies in North Carolina right now?

Today's 2018 code starts from the 2015 International Fire Code and adds amendments specific to North Carolina. Per the Office of State Fire Marshal, those amendments were approved by the Building Code Council together with the Rules Review Commission.

Compliance with the 2018 codes has been required since January 1, 2019. The 2018 codes were available from July 1, 2018, and became mandatory on January 1, 2019. The 2012 code, which drew on the 2009 International Codes, governed from September 1, 2011 until the end of 2018.

Writing and adopting the codes is the job of the Building Code Council, while the state's Engineering and Codes Section handles interpreting and enforcing them.

Is the 2024 code in effect yet?

State officials have signed off on a 2024 North Carolina State Building Code, and the Office of State Fire Marshal has updated its effective date. The 2018 code is the one in force today. Your local fire marshal's office can confirm what applies to your building.

Buildings the fire code covers

Commercial properties are covered, whether newly built or long standing. One- and two-family homes fall outside it. Wake County's fire marshal does periodic inspections on all other structures, and other places set their own schedules based on how a building is used and its level of risk.

In Mecklenburg County, inspections of apartments and condos cover only the common areas. The Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal says individual units get inspected solely on request. How often you're inspected depends on what your building is used for and how risky that use is.

How often do alarms, sprinklers, and kitchen hoods need servicing?

The Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal lists these intervals:

Salisbury also recommends fire alarm service once a year. If your alarm, sprinkler, or kitchen hood service is overdue, get it done before your next inspection, keeping in mind that as of 2019 the state did not license companies that service fire protection equipment-v-2).

Who is your North Carolina fire marshal?

Inspections come from your local fire marshal's office. Near Charlotte, the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal's Office serves the towns of Pineville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, along with unincorporated areas and the Charlotte ETJ. Buildings within Charlotte city limits fall to the Charlotte Fire Department.

Nearly every town in Wake County runs its own fire prevention office, with Rolesville and Wendell being the two that rely on the county instead. The Raleigh Office of Fire Marshal handles building inspections, building and fire alarm plan reviews, special event permits, and fire investigations, arson included.

Salisbury won't register a business without a fire inspection sign-off, home-based businesses excepted.

Getting sprinkler and alarm work permitted and inspected

In Salisbury, putting in or altering a sprinkler system, a fire extinguishing setup, or a fire alarm system calls for a construction permit. Routine upkeep doesn't need one. Salisbury's fire prevention staff look over commercial plans for these systems, kitchen hoods included, ahead of any building permit.

Raleigh Fire says the installing contractor books each visit via the online Permit and Development Portal, no later than 4 p.m. the day before. Rough-in means pipes and wiring are set but walls and ceilings remain open. Inspections follow this sequence:

1. The City Engineering Department inspects underground fire protection supply lines before they are backfilled and pressurized.
2. Sprinkler rough-in gets inspected ahead of ceiling installation, with a water pressure test on the pipes during that visit.
3. Fire alarm rough-in is approved before wiring and boxes get covered up.
4. Dry pipe sprinkler systems also need an air pressure test of 40 psi that holds for 24 hours.
5. Fire pumps call for 2 working days' notice, and testing happens with the inspector on site.
6. The fire alarm final is scheduled alongside the sprinkler final, and a monitoring company report must show the alarm devices passed pretesting.

Failing a visit triggers a re-inspection fee, payable before the next visit can be scheduled. Completing the work in the proper sequence helps you avoid that fee.

Fees when an inspection finds problems

In Wake County, return visits for the same issue get pricier each time. These fees come from two local schedules: the commercial burning permit is Salisbury's, and the other listed fees are Wake County's.

Knox Boxes, in-building radio, and clearance rules

A Knox Box is a secure key box mounted outside a building so firefighters can enter fast. Code section 506.1 requires one on commercial buildings equipped with an alarm or sprinkler system; multi-family buildings must have one as well.

Section 510 deals with in-building radio coverage so emergency crews can communicate with each other. New buildings with a single story and no more than 12,000 square feet don't have to comply.

Got a violation notice? Fix the problem before the return visit. In Wake County, fees rise from the second re-inspection onward.