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.