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Arlington updates fire code language in first reading; lithium‑battery language pulled from 2024 code for later review
Summary
The board approved first reading of ordinance 2025‑01 to adopt the 2021 International Fire Code and local amendments, clarifying hydrant standards, fire access roads and fire display permitting; lithium battery provisions from the 2024 code were discussed but are not being adopted at this meeting.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen on May 5 gave first reading approval to ordinance 2025‑01, which updates Title 7 — the town’s fire protection code — by adopting the 2021 edition of the International Fire Code with local amendments.
Angela Reeder, town staff, described the update as a move to clarify standards the town already enforces and to modernize language. “What we’re proposing now is to update those regulations by incorporating the 2021 fire code edition… and then again some local amendments,” Reeder said. She listed items included in the draft: clarifications on gross floor area measurement, standards for public and private fire hydrants, widening of fire access roads with limited chief discretion, and language tying outdoor public fireworks displays to the town’s special events permit process.
Reeder said the draft includes language about lithium‑ion battery storage that was taken from the 2024 code, but that the lithium language would not be adopted at this meeting because “there are still some things being worked out with that code.” The chief noted the town has seen EV‑related fires — including two golf‑cart battery fires confined to garages — and described the lithium provisions as intended primarily to regulate large‑scale or commercial storage rather than ordinary personal EV ownership. Staff said permits proposed in the draft targeted businesses that store bulk batteries, not individual EV owners; “For businesses. No, sir. I only deal with businesses,” the chief said in answer to a board question.
The board approved the ordinance’s first reading and gave staff direction to answer follow‑up questions before the second reading. Reeder and the chief were available for questions and to provide technical detail in the interim.
The first reading passed by voice vote; no final adoption was taken. Staff said that if the town later adopts the 2024 lithium language it will be done intentionally and with further clarification to avoid unintended impacts on residents who own electric vehicles.
The ordinance draft presented this evening also repeats a provision that would require certain outdoor fireworks displays to appear before the board even though those events are already covered under the town’s special events permit process. Staff said the repetition is intended to reduce the chance the requirement is overlooked.
