Florida Senate - 2025               CS for CS for CS for SB 1078
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Rules; Community Affairs; and Banking and
       Insurance; and Senator McClain
       
       
       
       
       595-03651-25                                          20251078c3
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fire prevention; amending s.
    3         553.7932, F.S.; defining the term “alteration”;
    4         revising the definition of the term “fire alarm system
    5         project”; requiring a local enforcement agency to
    6         issue a permit for a fire alarm system project or fire
    7         sprinkler system project within a specified time
    8         period; authorizing work authorized by the permit to
    9         commence immediately after submission of a completed
   10         application; requiring the local enforcement agency to
   11         provide an inspection within a specified timeframe;
   12         requiring that certain plans and specifications be
   13         available for an onsite plans review during an
   14         inspection; requiring a contractor to provide
   15         additional documentation in paper or electronic form,
   16         if requested by an inspector, within a specified
   17         timeframe; prohibiting a local enforcement agency from
   18         requiring additional plans reviews or documentation
   19         outside the scope of the permitted work; requiring
   20         that a specified percentage of the permit fee be
   21         refunded if a local government fails to meet certain
   22         deadlines; providing exceptions; requiring that such
   23         refunds be based on the original amount of the permit
   24         fee; requiring local enforcement agencies to establish
   25         a simplified permitting process by a specified date;
   26         amending s. 633.202, F.S.; specifying a condition
   27         under which a local amendment to the Florida Fire
   28         Prevention Code is unenforceable; providing that a
   29         county, a municipality, or an authority having
   30         jurisdiction may only enforce an ordinance that has
   31         been sent to the Florida Building Commission and the
   32         State Fire Marshal as of a certain date; amending s.
   33         633.312, F.S.; requiring that a uniform summary
   34         inspection report include certain information;
   35         deleting an exception from submitting certain
   36         information within a detailed inspection report;
   37         providing an effective date.
   38          
   39  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   40  
   41         Section 1. Present paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection
   42  (1) of section 553.7932, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   43  paragraphs (b) through (e), respectively, a new paragraph (a) is
   44  added to that subsection, present paragraph (c) of subsection
   45  (1), subsections (3) and (4), and paragraphs (a) and (b) of
   46  subsection (5) are amended, and subsections (6) and (7) are
   47  added to that section, to read:
   48         553.7932 Simplified permitting processes.—
   49         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   50         (a)“Alteration” means to add, install, relocate, replace,
   51  or remove.
   52         (d)(c) “Fire alarm system project” means a fire alarm
   53  system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer initiating devices
   54  and notification devices;, or the installation or replacement of
   55  a fire communicator connected to an existing fire alarm control
   56  panel in an existing commercial, residential, apartment,
   57  cooperative, or condominium building; or the replacement of an
   58  existing fire alarm panel using the same make and model as the
   59  existing panel.
   60         (3) A local enforcement agency must issue a permit for a
   61  fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler system project in
   62  person or electronically within 2 business days after submission
   63  of a completed application. A contractor may commence work
   64  authorized by the permit immediately after submission of a
   65  completed application.
   66         (4) The a local enforcement agency must provide an
   67  inspection within 3 business days after such inspection is
   68  requested require at least one inspection of a fire alarm system
   69  project or fire sprinkler system project to ensure compliance
   70  with applicable codes and standards. If a fire alarm system
   71  project or fire sprinkler system project fails an inspection,
   72  the contractor must take corrective action as necessary to pass
   73  inspection.
   74         (5)(a) For a fire alarm system project, a contractor must
   75  keep a copy of the plans and specifications at the fire alarm
   76  system project worksite and make such plans and specifications
   77  available to the inspector for an onsite plans review at each
   78  inspection. If the local enforcement agency determines that it
   79  needs documents for recording purposes, the contractor must
   80  provide such documentation in paper or electronic form to the
   81  local enforcement agency within 4 business days after the
   82  inspection or 4 days after the documentation is requested,
   83  whichever is later. The local enforcement agency may not require
   84  additional plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices
   85  outside the scope of permitted work, as needed on permit
   86  applications.
   87         (b) For a fire sprinkler system project to alter an
   88  existing fire protection system, a contractor must keep a copy
   89  of the plans and specifications at the fire sprinkler system
   90  project worksite and make such plans and specifications
   91  available to the inspector at each inspection. If the local
   92  enforcement agency determines that it needs additional documents
   93  for recording purposes, the contractor must provide such
   94  documentation in paper or electronic form to the local
   95  enforcement agency within 4 business days after the inspection
   96  or 4 days after the documentation is requested, whichever is
   97  later. The local enforcement agency may not require additional
   98  plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices outside the
   99  scope of permitted work, as needed on permit applications.
  100         (6)A local government that fails to meet a deadline under
  101  subsection (3) or subsection (4) must refund the permit fee by
  102  10 percent for each business day after such failure, unless the
  103  local government and contractor agree in writing to a reasonable
  104  extension of time, the delay is caused by the applicant, or the
  105  delay is attributable to a force majeure or other extraordinary
  106  circumstances. Each 10 percent refund shall be based on the
  107  original amount of the permit fee.
  108         (7)By October 1, 2025, a local enforcement agency must
  109  establish a simplified permitting process that complies with
  110  this section.
  111         Section 2. Subsection (9) of section 633.202, Florida
  112  Statutes, is amended to read:
  113         633.202 Florida Fire Prevention Code.—
  114         (9)(a) The State Fire Marshal shall make rules that
  115  implement this section and ss. 633.104 and 633.208 for the
  116  purpose of accomplishing the objectives set forth in those
  117  sections.
  118         (b)A county, a municipality, or an authority having
  119  jurisdiction may only enforce an ordinance that has been sent to
  120  the Florida Building Commission and the State Fire Marshal
  121  pursuant to subsection (8) as of the date that the permit was
  122  submitted.
  123         Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
  124  633.312, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  125         633.312 Inspection of fire control systems, fire hydrants,
  126  and fire protection systems.—
  127         (3)
  128         (b) The State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules to implement a
  129  uniform summary inspection report and submission procedures to
  130  be used by all third-party vendors and local authorities having
  131  jurisdiction. For purposes of this section, a uniform summary
  132  inspection report must record the address at which where the
  133  fire protection system or hydrant is located, the company and
  134  person conducting the inspection and their license number, the
  135  date of the inspection, and the fire protection system or
  136  hydrant inspection status, including the total number of
  137  deficiencies found, separated into critical and noncritical
  138  categories, and the brief description of impairment deficiencies
  139  a brief summary of each deficiency, critical deficiency,
  140  noncritical deficiency, or impairment found. A contractor’s
  141  detailed inspection report must also be provided, but is not
  142  required to follow the uniform summary inspection report format.
  143  The State Fire Marshal shall establish by rule a submission
  144  procedure for each means provided under paragraph (a) by which a
  145  local authority having jurisdiction may accept uniform summary
  146  inspection reports. Each of the submission procedures must allow
  147  a contractor to attach additional documents with the submission
  148  of a uniform summary inspection report, including a physical
  149  copy of the contractor’s detailed inspection report. A
  150  submission procedure may not require a contractor to submit
  151  information contained within the detailed inspection report
  152  unless the information is required to be included in the uniform
  153  summary inspection report.
  154         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.