State and Municipal Code Adoption Update

The New Mexico Construction Industries Division (CID) has adopted the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC) without amendments to the CO and smoke detection sections. That means CO detection is required to be installed in newly constructed one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories that contain a fuel-fire appliance or an attached garage. The CO alarms shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms. In addition, the West Virginia State Fire Commission has adopted the 2009 IRC without amendments to the smoke detection section.

With New Mexico and West Virginia adopting the 2009 IRC, household fire alarm systems using system-connected smoke detectors will be permitted to be installed as a primary form of smoke protection if the system is owned by the homeowner as a permanent fixture and installed in accordance with NFPA 72®. In the previous edition (2006) of the IRC, a provision prohibited system-connected smoke detectors from being installed as a primary form of smoke protection.

The state of Oklahoma has required CO detection to be installed in child day-care occupancies since 2000. In July, the Uniform Building Code Commission officially adopted the 2009 IRC with modifications. The modifications are:

  • CO detection is not required within the dwelling unit if the attached garage has a sealed door between the residence and the garage and no fuel-burning appliances are in the residence.
  • The household fire alarm system requirements in R313.2 and R313.2.1 were moved from the body of the code to the annex.

In Massachusetts, the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations (BFPR) has suspended all current fire code (527 CMR) committee meetings, including 527 CMR 31, because it is in the process of adopting NFPA 1, Fire Code, for the next edition of the state fire code.

Share

Tags: , ,

Posted in Carbon Monoxide Detection, Legislation, NFPA, Winter 2011

To receive more information about the content within this issue, fill out this Online Response Card.

Comments are closed.