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Committee approves first reading of ordinance adopting 2024 International Fire Code with local amendments
Summary
Rapid City’s Legal and Finance Committee voted to give first reading to Ordinance No. 6641, adopting the 2024 International Fire Code with local amendments intended to control construction costs for multifamily housing, address lithium‑ion battery risks, and improve firefighter access and false‑alarm handling.
Rapid City’s Legal and Finance Committee on Nov. 13 approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 6641, a package of local amendments that would adopt the 2024 International Fire Code into Rapid City Municipal Code Chapter 8.24.
The ordinance, presented by Division Chief Chip Primus, changes multiple code sections — many of which staff said dated to 1997 or 2004 — so the city can update discrete sections incrementally in the future. Primus said the amended code keeps existing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements but removes a prewiring requirement that staff and industry argued would impose large, immediate costs on multifamily projects.
"Without deleting that or keeping the way the code is right now, it cost $71,000 to put the fire alarm system in a 150 unit apartment. If we didn't amend that code out, it would cost $200,000," Primus said, describing a cost comparison between the city's approach and the unamended 2024…
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