69A-46.041. Inspection Requirements for Fire Protection Systems

(1) A Fire Protection Contractor, contracting to perform inspecting, testing, and maintenance (ITM) service on a fire protection system must comply with the requirements of Chapter 633, F.S., and the applicable standards in NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, which is incorporated by reference in Rule 69A-3.012, F.A.C. When an inspection/test is required to be performed at a specified frequency, up to and including annually, by NFPA 25, all inspection/tests required more frequently than the specified frequency are also required to be performed, e.g., performance of an annual inspection/test would include the inspection/test required on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and semi-annual frequency.

(2) Each system that has been inspected, tested, or maintained by a Fire Protection Contractor, or his or her permitted Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector, must have a record tag of durable and weather resistant material placed on the system’s main water control valve.

(a) For sprinkler systems, including water spray fixed systems and foam-water sprinkler systems, the main water control valve is defined as the valve upstream of the water flow alarm device that controls the entire system.

(b) For standpipe system risers or combination standpipes in a single building, one record tag can be located for all such systems at the main water control valve at the base of the standpipe that is supplying water to all such systems.

(c) For private fire service mains, the main water control valve shall be the first indicating gate valve downstream of the connection to the water source.

(d) Each fire hydrant on a private fire service main shall have a record tag affixed to the hydrant in a manner not to impede operation of the hydrant.

(e) For fire pumps, the main water control valve is defined as the first indicating gate valve downstream of the connection to the water prior to the pump. For multiple fire pumps, one record tag shall be placed at each indicating gate valve prior to each individual fire pump.

(f) For water storage tanks, the main water control valve is defined as the tank discharge valve. For multiple water storage tanks one record tag shall be placed at each tank discharge valve.

(g) For water mist systems, the main water control valve is defined as the first control valve upstream of the water mist system. For multiple water mist systems, one record tag shall be placed at each control valve upstream of each individual system.

(3) Inspection Tags.

(a) After inspection and testing, an inspection tag shall be completed indicating all work that has been done, and then attached to the system’s main water control valve in such a position as to permit convenient inspection and not hamper activation or operation. A new inspection tag must be attached to the system’s main water control valve each time an inspection and test service is performed.

(b) Inspection tags must be a minimum dimension of 133 mm (5 1/4 inches) in height and 89 mm (3 1/2 inches) in width, and a maximum dimension of 178 mm (7 inches) in height and 102 mm (4 inches) in width.

(c) Inspection tags must bear the following information in an easy-to-read format:

1. ‘DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL.’ This particular information must be in a minimum of 10-point type and in all capital letters;

2. The licensed Fire Protection System Contractor I or II’s name and licensed physical address;

3. The license number of the Fire Protection System Contractor I or II;

4. The permit number of the Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector;

5. The permitted Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector’s signature;

6. The day, month and year (to be punched); and,

7. The facility name and address.

8. Affixing this tag shall not be construed to invalidate the owner’s responsibility to maintain the system as provided in Section 633.312, F.S.

9. The reverse of the RED or YELLOW tag must include at least four separate boxes for the listing of repair work as follows:

a. Date of Repair;

b. Repaired by (Signature);

c. Print Name;

d. Type of Repair;

e. Permit Number (if repair is made by a Water Based Fire Protection Inspector, Permit Number must be noted.).

(d) Inspection tags may be printed and established for a five-year period of time.

(e) An inspection tag shall only be removed by the Fire Protection System Contractor or his or her permitted Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector.

(f) Compliance and Non-compliance Tags that are greater than 1-year old shall be removed from the system except those tags used for 3 and 5-year inspection/tests. The Compliance and Non-compliance Tags shall remain on the system until replaced with the next 3 or 5-year inspection/test tag. Water Based Fire Protection Inspectors shall not remove Compliance and Non-compliance Tags from the system when the tags are less than 1-year old.

(g) A fire protection system that has been repaired to correct a noted deficiency or impairment documented during an inspection and test service is not required to be reinspected by a Water Based Fire Protection Inspector until the next inspection and test scheduled in accordance with NFPA 25. The repair must be documented on the reverse side of the RED or YELLOW tag and a retagging of the system is not required.

(4) Compliance and Non-compliance Tag.

(a) If a fire protection system is found to be in compliance with the applicable NFPA ITM standards, a GREEN Compliance Tag must be attached to the main water control valve in such a manner as to be plainly visible and not more than 60 inches above the finished floor. GREEN tags shall not be placed on a system if deficiencies or impairments still exist from a previous inspection.

(b) If a fire protection system is found to have noncritical deficiencies and is not in compliance with the applicable NFPA ITM standards, a completed YELLOW Non-compliance Tag must be attached to the main water control valve of the system to indicate that corrective action is necessary. The building owner or authorized representative must be notified by copy of the NFPA 25 inspection report within 30 days of the inspection. If the building owner or authorized representative has not contracted with the inspecting contractor so that the noncritical deficiencies are corrected within 90 days from the date of the inspection, or the inspecting contractor has not received confirmation from the building owner or authorized representative that the corrections have been performed by another licensed contractor, the inspecting contractor must notify the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).

(c) If the system has critical deficiencies or is found to be impaired, a completed RED Non-Compliance Tag must be attached to the main water control valve of the system, and the contractor or inspector must notify the building owner or authorized representative within 24 hours of the time of the inspection. If the building owner or authorized representative has not contracted with the inspecting contractor so that the critical deficiencies are corrected within 30 days from the date of the inspection, or the inspecting contractor has not received confirmation from the building owner or authorized representative that the corrections have been performed by another licensed contractor, the inspecting contractor must notify the local AHJ. If a system is found to be impaired, the inspecting contractor must notify the local AHJ within 72 hours of the time of the inspection if the impairment has not been corrected within 72 hours of the finding.

(d) If a system is found to have noncritical deficiencies or critical deficiencies, and the building tenant(s) is different from the building owner, the building owner must notify the tenant(s) within 30 days of receipt of the NFPA 25 inspection report.

(e) If a system is found to have impairments, and the building tenant(s) is different from the building owner, the building owner must notify the tenant(s) within 72 hours of receiving notification of the impairment.

(5) The contractor shall maintain all records of any fire protection system having been inspected, serviced and maintained as per the applicable NFPA ITM standards. Inspection reports shall be maintained by the contractor for at least 10 years.

(6) These records shall be made available to the State Fire Marshal upon request in the records storage format utilized by the contractor.

(7) Form DFS-K3-2015, Uniform Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance (ITM) Report (Eff. 03/2021) must be provided to the local AHJ by the contractor, as mutually agreed between the contractor and the local AHJ, using one of the following means: (a) by United States mail; (b) by hand delivery; (c) by electronic submission; or (d) through a third-party vendor that collects the reports on behalf of the local AHJ. Form DFS-K3-2015 is hereby incorporated by reference and is available on the following link: http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13339; or on the Division’s website at: myfloridacfo.com/Division/SFM; or by contacting the Regulatory Licensing Section, Bureau of Fire Prevention, Division of State Fire Marshal, 200 E. Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0342, Phone: [phone].

(8) The contractor or his or her permitted Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector must complete the inspection reports as required in NFPA 25, which is incorporated by reference in Rule 69A-3.012, F.A.C., that outlines all points of the inspection, test, and maintenance as required by the applicable NFPA ITM standards. A copy of the NFPA 25 inspection report must be provided to the owner at the completion of each inspection performed.

(9) The NFPA 25 inspection report must include a detailed explanation of every deficiency, and indicate if the inspection is a weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual inspection. The NFPA 25 inspection report must include the name of the permitted Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector, the inspector permit number, the inspector’s signature, the date and time of the inspection, and the signature of the owner or the owner’s representative.

(10) Pursuant to the provisions of Section 633.312, F.S., it is the owner’s responsibility to maintain the fire protection system and notify the tenant(s) of deficiencies and impairments in accordance with this rule. Affixing an inspection tag as required herein does not eliminate responsibility nor will a transfer of risk be construed.

(11) A contractor or licensee that performs ITM services in accordance with the applicable NFPA ITM standards and this rule will be deemed to have performed to the required standard of care in performing such services.

Rulemaking Authority 633.104, 633.308, 633.312 FS. Law Implemented 633.306, 633.308, 633.312, 633.338 FS. History–New 10-20-93, Amended 11-21-01, Formerly 4A-46.041, Amended 5-18-08, 7-19-16, 9-1-21.