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State Fire Marshal seeks authority to regulate cannabis production, tighten investigation triggers
Summary
Senate Bill 25 would let the State Fire Marshal Division perform plan reviews and inspections for cannabis production facilities and update reporting thresholds for major fires and injuries; supporters framed it as a public‑safety cleanup and opponents did not register in committee.
Senate Bill 25 would amend Nevada’s fire‑safety statutes to let the State Fire Marshal Division perform plan reviews and inspections for cannabis production facilities, remove obsolete statutory organization language, and require local authorities to request state investigators for incidents causing injury or loss above a dollar threshold.
Mike Dzyak, Nevada State Fire Marshal, told the Assembly Government Affairs Committee the measure is largely housekeeping and safety‑focused. “Because these facilities tend to have significant volumes of hazardous materials, the division is in the best position to fill this need,” Dzyak said, describing volatile‑solvent extraction processes used at some production sites and citing an unlicensed explosion in Pahrump that injured people.
SB 25 would add “production” facilities for cannabis into the list of occupancies for which the State Fire Marshal may conduct plan review and inspections. Dzyak and Lieutenant Joseph Rodriguez said that many rural jurisdictions lack certified plan reviewers and that bringing production facilities under the state marshal’s review would set a common, enforceable baseline and help protect workers and neighboring communities. The presenters explained the change is not intended to preempt more stringent local standards; rather, the state would provide baseline plan review, hazardous‑materials permitting and investigators where local capacity is limited.
The bill also seeks to remove NRS 477.0102’s prescriptive internal bureau structure to give the division administrative flexibility and to delete obsolete requirements tied to older wildland‑urban interface provisions. Another amendment would require local fire and law‑enforcement officials to request state‑level investigators in incidents involving an injury or financial loss greater than $2,000,000 and permits requests from counties with population over 100,000.
Committee members asked how existing legal and illegal production operations are handled and whether other industries using volatile solvents should be covered. Dzyak said the statutory change would give his division clear authority to act against illegal operations and to assist or assume plan review in rural jurisdictions that lack certified reviewers. On the question of other industries, Dzyak said the change grew out of a recent cluster of incidents and local requests for assistance; he said other industries could be considered if incidents warrant it.
No public opposition or neutral witnesses registered on the record during the hearing; a number of committee members thanked Dzyak for a long career in the service. No final committee action was recorded during the hearing.
