Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Codes Fire Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts updated international fire code and third‑party reporting requirements
Summary
The council adopted ordinance file 2024-904 to bring Janesville’s fire code into alignment with the latest International Fire Code and add third‑party reporting for life‑safety system inspections and fire-watch language; ordinance passed 6–0.
The Common Council voted 6–0 on Jan. 13 to adopt ordinance file 2024-904, replacing the older NFPA 1 (2012 edition) references with the newest published International Fire Code (IFC) and related NFPA standards for inspection, testing and maintenance of fire protection systems.
Fire Marshal Nathan Simmons told the council the current local code (based on NFPA 1, 2012) is outdated and does not address contemporary hazards such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage or mobile food vehicles. Adopting the IFC aligns the fire code with the building code in effect for new construction and provides greater specificity for designers. The ordinance also adds third‑party reporting requirements for sprinkler and alarm testing and sets a fire-watch requirement if life‑safety systems are out of service for more than four hours.
Simmons said the third‑party reporting mechanism carries a small record-upload fee to the vendor (he cited $30) and that several other Wisconsin municipalities have adopted the IFC. Council Member Jackson asked if there would be city costs; Simmons said none to the city, though contractors pay fees to upload records. After a public hearing with no speakers, Council Member Williams moved adoption; Council Member Squire seconded. The ordinance passed 6–0.
