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Hanover supervisors adopt online submission requirement for fire protection inspection reports
Summary
The Board approved Ordinance 25-13 to require online/cloud-based submission of commercial fire protection inspection reports, citing faster identification of deficiencies and more consistent records; staff said a nominal vendor-funded submission fee (about $20) may be passed to businesses and a transition period will be provided for vendors.
Hanover County supervisors voted Sept. 24 to adopt Ordinance 25-13, which requires vendors to submit fire protection system inspection reports through a cloud-based portal.
Assistant Chief Carl Hardell, who identified himself as the county’s fire marshal, told the board the online submission system would provide real-time data on the status of fire protection systems, allow more rapid follow-up on deficiencies, and reduce administrative time so fire staff can focus on inspections. He described the system as a vendor-hosted dashboard that would also notify business owners when reports are filed.
Hardell said submissions would be mandatory under the ordinance and acknowledged a vendor-funded submission fee. He estimated that fee to be roughly $20 and said vendors already often pass similar fees as part of service charges; he also said some businesses already submit to the state fire marshal’s system.
Supervisor Davis said he has received positive feedback from business owners who want an automated process and moved to adopt the ordinance. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The county will provide vendor outreach and a transition period before mandatory submission begins, Hardell said. The ordinance’s adoption follows similar moves in nearby jurisdictions that the presenter cited as examples.
The board did not receive any public speakers on the item during the hearing. The ordinance is intended to make inspections and remediation timelines more transparent and to reduce the time systems remain deficient between manual report filings and annual inspections.
