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Staff compares Maricopa emergency‑access rules with neighboring cities and the International Fire Code
Summary
Planning staff reviewed how Maricopa’s secondary and emergency access requirements track with the International Fire Code and with practices in Avondale, Peoria, Tempe and Gilbert, highlighting IFC section D107, temporary fire‑access standards and Peoria’s 100+ lot half‑street rule.
City planning staff presented a report on Sept. 13 comparing Maricopa’s secondary and emergency access standards with regional peers and the International Fire Code (IFC).
Planner Rick summarized the IFC guidance, saying that "if you've got 30 or more and they're not sprinkled, then you need a secondary access to that development." He explained the IFC’s exceptions and technical parameters, including that a temporary fire access road must support a 75,000‑pound imposed load and be a minimum of 20 feet wide.
Rick told the commission he reviewed Avondale, Peoria, Tempe and Gilbert and found those cities generally follow the IFC and use similar standards for diagonal distance, load capacity and developer maintenance of temporary access. He said Peoria is an exception in one respect: its traffic‑management plan requires half‑street improvements when a subdivision reaches 100 or more lots, which can mean more extensive upfront construction.
Commissioner Robertson asked for clarification on intended use; Robertson said a temporary access road is not for regular public use. "A temporary access road is specifically for fire apparatus access and is not for convenience of the folks that live there in the event of an emergency," Robertson said. Rick agreed that public use would be situational and that if a secondary access provided broader circulation to a school or shopping center, the city would not permit it as a temporary interim condition.
The commissioners discussed whether Maricopa should consider an ordinance similar to Peoria’s and the potential tradeoffs. Rick said changing the local standard would require City Council action and likely an update to engineering design standards; he cautioned that stricter frontage requirements could add millions to infrastructure costs and could affect housing prices.
Rick offered to open further discussions with the development services director and city engineer to gauge whether a change would be appropriate.
