Utah fire code

Rules your fire systems have to meet

Every fire safety system in your building has its own standard to follow. NFPA, the National Fire Protection Association, writes most of these. It is a national organization that publishes detailed rules on how fire systems get built and maintained. Utah layers its own rule numbers on top of those. Every edition shown in this table comes from the State Fire Marshal.

A system installed years ago may not meet a newer edition, and a licensed contractor can visit and tell you exactly where yours stands.

Inspections your building needs

Per the Draper Fire Marshal's office, fire alarms and fire sprinklers each require an inspection once a year. Commercial kitchens run on a tighter timeline. The hood must be checked at least every 6 months by a Utah State certified inspector, and the ducts must be cleaned on the same schedule by a certified hood cleaner.

Rechargeable extinguishers have to be refilled by a fire extinguisher company certified by the state of Utah. One recharge usually runs $15 to $25.

The local fire department also inspects some properties every year. In some places this happens through a self-inspection form, and in others through an in-person visit. A skipped hood cleaning or a late sprinkler test is simpler to handle before that visit happens, so call now to schedule yours.

Who may service your fire systems?

Utah law says only licensed companies and registered technicians may do these jobs. The Office of the State Fire Marshal handles licensing for companies and technicians working on alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, suppression systems, and the cleaning of kitchen exhaust ducts. To test for any of these licenses, a person must pass a background check and be employed by a licensed company.

A certificate of registration is required for technicians. It is a personal license from the State Fire Marshal's Office that authorizes them to do the work. The sprinkler inspection and testing program began in March 2004. It runs across 4 levels, starting at Technician I and going up to Master Technician. Moving through each level means passing exams and finishing a hands-on skills task book, and the technician also has to show evidence of public liability coverage.

Extinguisher service companies renew their license annually. They have to hold public liability insurance of $100,000 or more per incident, with $300,000 in total coverage. Their technicians must score 70 percent or higher on a written exam and retake it at 5-year intervals.

Where the Utah State Fire Marshal gets its authority

Two sections of Utah law give the State Fire Marshal its authority. One is Title 53, Chapter 7, covering fire prevention, and the other is the State Fire Code found in Title 15A, Chapter 5, as the State Fire Marshal's Office lists them. Adopting the code books, writing the R710 rules, and licensing fire protection companies all fall to this office.

The Legislature confirms the members of the state's Fire Prevention Board and its Uniform Building Code Commission. A directory of local fire ordinances that cities have passed is also maintained by the office.

Can a Utah city set stricter fire rules?

No. How codes get adopted across Utah is governed by Title 15A, known as the State Construction and Fire Codes Act. The International Code Council notes that under this law, cities and counties cannot impose requirements that go beyond the state construction code.

One local option does exist. By ordinance, a city may take up the Utah Wildland Urban Interface Code. That code draws on the 2006 international code written for buildings in wildfire-prone areas.

City rules in Salt Lake City and Draper

Cities still enforce the code and run their own permits. Permits for hazardous activities are required by the Salt Lake City Fire Prevention Bureau. Its headquarters sits at 475 S 300 E. A fire watch is also required by the city whenever a commercial building has a problem with its fire suppression system. During a fire watch, people walk through the building watching for fire while the system is out of service.

Draper requires a Temporary Commercial Business License for anyone selling fireworks. Burning leaves and yard waste is prohibited in Draper and everywhere else in Salt Lake County. A recreational fire can be no bigger than 3 feet across and 2 feet high, and it must stay at least 25 feet away from any building.

A fire watch costs money for every day it runs when your sprinkler or suppression system goes down. Call now to have the system repaired and back in service.