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Fire marshal outlines permitting work for battery storage; residents urge NFPA 855 enforcement
Summary
Hood County’s fire marshal updated commissioners on drafting a permitting and fee process for battery energy storage and other NFPA codes; a local resident urged strict enforcement of NFPA 855 and raised safety, noise and insurance concerns.
Fire Marshal Jeff Young told the Hood County Commissioners Court on June 24 that he is developing a permitting process and fee schedule to address battery energy storage systems and other state-adopted NFPA fire codes, including NFPA 855. He said the county has received pre‑submittal documents for projects such as Apache Hill and that reviewing UL testing, site emergency plans and equipment approvals is now part of his workload.
Young said he is working to assemble comparable fee schedules from other counties, but that software and staffing constraints have slowed progress; as a near-term step he and staff discussed posting a clear, word‑document permitting outline on the county website while a longer software solution is developed.
During public comment Jessica Hall urged the court to enforce NFPA 855 for installation and maintenance of battery energy storage systems, saying the county faces noise, air-pollution and safety risks and that homeowners living near large-scale storage facilities may even risk losing insurance coverage. Hall referenced a recently passed House bill (identified in the meeting as HB 3824) pending the governor’s action, which she said directs state-level adoption of standards and limits conflicting local ordinances.
Commissioners noted the county’s authority and the need to balance timely permitting with public safety; staff agreed to continue work on a clear application process and to follow up with the court on next steps.
What happens next: the fire marshal will continue developing a fee schedule and permitting process, coordinate with county staff on interim public guidance, and present follow-up materials to the commissioners for adoption.
