FL
Florida House Bill H0327

Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0327 Compare Versions

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1010 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14+A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to fire sprinkler system projects; 2
1616 amending s. 553.7932, F.S.; revising and providing 3
1717 definitions; providing requirements for a simplified 4
1818 permitting process for certain fire sprinkler system 5
1919 projects; amending s. 633.102, F.S.; revising the 6
2020 definition of the term "contractor" as it relates to 7
2121 fire sprinkler systems; providing an effective date. 8
2222 9
2323 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the St ate of Florida: 10
2424 11
2525 Section 1. Section 553.7932, Florida Statutes, is amended 12
2626 to read: 13
2727 553.7932 Simplified permitting processes process for fire 14
2828 alarm system projects .— 15
2929 (1) As used in this section, the term: 16
3030 (a) "Component" means valves, fire sprink lers, 17
3131 escutcheons, hangers, compressors, or any other item deemed 18
3232 acceptable by the local enforcing agency. For purposes of this 19
3333 paragraph, a valve does not include pressure -regulating, 20
3434 pressure-reducing, or pressure -control valves. 21
3535 (b)(a) "Contractor" means a person who: 22
3636 1. Is qualified to engage in the business of electrical or 23
3737 alarm system contracting pursuant to a certificate or 24
3838 registration issued by the department under part II of chapter 25
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4747 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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5151 489; or 26
5252 2. Is qualified to engage in the business of fire 27
5353 protection system contracting pursuant to a license or 28
5454 certificate issued by the State Fire Marshal . 29
5555 (c)(b) "Fire alarm system project" means a fire alarm 30
5656 system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer initiating devices 31
5757 and notification devices, or the in stallation or replacement of 32
5858 a fire communicator connected to an existing fire alarm control 33
5959 panel in an existing commercial, residential, apartment, 34
6060 cooperative, or condominium building. 35
6161 (d) "Fire sprinkler system project" means a fire 36
6262 protection system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer fire 37
6363 sprinklers in which the sprinklers are of the same K -factor and 38
6464 located in spaces where there is no change of hazard 39
6565 classification or increased system coverage area, or the 40
6666 installation or replacement of an equiv alent fire sprinkler 41
6767 system component in an existing commercial, residential, 42
6868 apartment, cooperative, or condominium building. For purposes of 43
6969 this paragraph, a component is equivalent if the component has 44
7070 the same or better characteristics, including elec trical, 45
7171 hydraulic, pressure losses, and required listings and spacing as 46
7272 the component being replaced. 47
7373 (2)(a) A local enforcement agency may require a 48
7474 contractor, as a condition of obtaining a permit for a fire 49
7575 alarm system project or fire sprinkler syst em project, to submit 50
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8484 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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8888 a completed application and payment. 51
8989 (b) A local enforcement agency may not require a 52
9090 contractor to submit plans or specifications as a condition of 53
9191 obtaining a permit for a fire alarm system project or fire 54
9292 sprinkler system project . 55
9393 (3) A local enforcement agency must issue a permit for a 56
9494 fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler system project in 57
9595 person or electronically. 58
9696 (4) A local enforcement agency must require at least one 59
9797 inspection of a fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler 60
9898 system project to ensure compliance with applicable codes and 61
9999 standards. If a fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler 62
100100 system project fails an inspection, the contractor must take 63
101101 corrective action as necessary to pass inspection. 64
102102 (5)(a) For a fire alarm system project, a contractor must 65
103103 keep a copy of the plans and specifications at the a fire alarm 66
104104 system project worksite and make such plans and specifications 67
105105 available to the inspector at each inspection. 68
106106 (b) For a fire sprinkler syst em project to alter an 69
107107 existing fire protection system, a contractor must keep a copy 70
108108 of the plans and specifications at the fire sprinkler system 71
109109 project worksite and make such plans and specifications 72
110110 available to the inspector at each inspection. 73
111111 (c) For a fire sprinkler system project to install or 74
112112 replace a component, a contractor must keep a copy of the 75
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121121 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125125 manufacturer's installation instructions and any pertinent 76
126126 testing instructions needed to certify or accept the component 77
127127 at the fire sprinkler syst em project worksite and make such 78
128128 documents available to the inspector at each inspection. 79
129129 Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 633.102, Florida 80
130130 Statutes, is amended to read: 81
131131 633.102 Definitions. —As used in this chapter, the term: 82
132132 (3)(a) "Contractor I" means a contractor whose business 83
133133 includes the execution of contracts requiring the ability to lay 84
134134 out, fabricate, install, inspect, alter, repair, and service all 85
135135 types of fire protection systems, excluding preengineered 86
136136 systems. 87
137137 (b) "Contractor II" means a contractor whose business is 88
138138 limited to the execution of contracts requiring the ability to 89
139139 lay out, fabricate, install, inspect, alter, repair, and service 90
140140 water sprinkler systems, water spray systems, foam -water 91
141141 sprinkler systems, foam -water spray systems, standpipes, 92
142142 combination standpipes and sprinkler risers, all piping that is 93
143143 an integral part of the system beginning at the point of service 94
144144 as defined in this section, sprinkler tank heaters, air lines, 95
145145 thermal systems used in connection with sprinklers, and tanks 96
146146 and pumps connected thereto, excluding preengineered systems. 97
147147 (c) "Contractor III" means a contractor whose business is 98
148148 limited to the execution of contracts requiring the ability to 99
149149 fabricate, install, inspect, alter, repair, and service carbon 100
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158158 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162162 dioxide systems, foam extinguishing systems, dry chemical 101
163163 systems, and Halon and other chemical systems, excluding 102
164164 preengineered systems. 103
165165 (d) "Contractor IV" means a contractor whose business is 104
166166 limited to the execution of contracts requir ing the ability to 105
167167 lay out, fabricate, install, inspect, alter, repair, and service 106
168168 automatic fire sprinkler systems for detached one -family 107
169169 dwellings, detached two -family dwellings, and mobile homes, 108
170170 excluding preengineered systems and excluding single -family 109
171171 homes in cluster units, such as apartments, condominiums, and 110
172172 assisted living facilities or any building that is connected to 111
173173 other dwellings. A Contractor IV is limited to the scope of 112
174174 practice specified in NFPA 13D. 113
175175 (e) "Contractor V" means a cont ractor whose business is 114
176176 limited to the execution of contracts requiring the ability to 115
177177 fabricate, install, alter, repair, and service the underground 116
178178 piping for a fire protection system using water as the 117
179179 extinguishing agent beginning at the point of serv ice as defined 118
180180 in this act and ending no more than 1 foot above the finished 119
181181 floor. A Contractor V may inspect underground piping for a 120
182182 water-based fire protection system under the direction of a 121
183183 Contractor I or Contractor II. 122
184184 123
185185 This subsection may not be c onstrued to include engineers or 124
186186 architects within the defined terms and does not limit or 125
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195195 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199199 prohibit a licensed fire protection engineer or architect with 126
200200 fire protection design experience from designing any type of 127
201201 fire protection system. A distinction is made between system 128
202202 design concepts prepared by the design professional and system 129
203203 layout as defined in this section and typically prepared by the 130
204204 contractor. However, a person certified under this chapter as a 131
205205 Contractor I or Contractor II may design new fire protection 132
206206 systems of 49 or fewer sprinklers; may design the alteration of 133
207207 an existing fire sprinkler system if the alteration consists of 134
208208 the relocation, addition, or deletion of 49 or fewer sprinklers, 135
209209 notwithstanding the size of the existing fire s prinkler system; 136
210210 and or may design the alteration of an existing fire sprinkler 137
211211 system if the alteration consists of the relocation or deletion 138
212212 of 249 or fewer sprinklers and the addition of up to 49 139
213213 sprinklers, as long as the cumulative total number of fi re 140
214214 sprinklers being added, relocated, or deleted does not exceed 141
215215 249, notwithstanding the size of the existing fire sprinkler 142
216216 system, if there is no change of occupancy of the affected 143
217217 areas, as defined in the Florida Building Code and the Florida 144
218218 Fire Prevention Code, and there is no change in the water demand 145
219219 as defined in NFPA 13, "Standard for the Installation of 146
220220 Sprinkler Systems," and if the occupancy hazard classification 147
221221 as defined in NFPA 13 is reduced or remains the same as a result 148
222222 of the alteration. Conflicts between the Florida Building Code 149
223223 and the Florida Fire Prevention Code shall be resolved pursuant 150
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232232 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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236236 to s. 553.73(1)(d). A person certified as a Contractor I, 151
237237 Contractor II, or Contractor IV may design a new fire protection 152
238238 system or design the alteration of an existing fire protection 153
239239 system, the scope of which complies with NFPA 13D, "Standard for 154
240240 the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One - and Two-Family 155
241241 Dwellings and Manufactured Homes," as adopted by the State Fire 156
242242 Marshal, notwithstandin g the number of fire sprinklers. 157
243243 Contractor-developed plans may not be required by any local 158
244244 permitting authority to be sealed by a registered professional 159
245245 engineer. 160
246246 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 161