Borough of Lansdale, PA Chapter 204 Fire Prevention Code

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the Borough of Lansdale 5-15-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-1926. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 204-1 Adoption of International Fire Code, 2015 Edition.

A. It is hereby adopted by Lansdale Borough, One Vine Street, Suite 201, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, that the International Fire Code, 2015 Edition, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., three copies of which are on file in the office of the Borough of Lansdale, is the Fire Prevention Code of the Borough of Lansdale; for the protection of buildings and structures as herein provided; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of the International Fire Code, 2015 Edition, Chapters 1 through 80 inclusive, and Appendices A through M are hereby incorporated by reference, adopted and made a part thereof, as if fully set out in this chapter, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, if any, set forth in § 204-3 of this chapter.

B. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of this code and the Pennsylvania Universal Construction Code, the Pennsylvania Construction Code shall control.

§ 204-2 Definitions.

Where the term "Name of Jurisdiction" is used in the Fire Code, it shall be held to mean the Borough of Lansdale. Wherever the terms "fire official" or "enforcement officer" are used in the Fire Code, they shall be held to mean the Fire Marshal of Lansdale Borough.

§ 204-3 Amendments.

A. Section 101.1, Title, shall be amended by the insertion of "Borough of Lansdale" for the name of the jurisdiction.

B. Section 1011.7 shall be amended to require that all stairs in stair towers exceeding three stories be constructed of noncombustible materials.

C. Section 311 shall be amended to include a requirement that all placards required by the 2015 International Fire Code and by the Lansdale Borough Fire Prevention Code shall be made of metal or other weatherproof material.

[Added 1-20-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-1948]

D. Section 505 shall be amended to include the following additional requirements relating to floor and roof truss placards:

[Added 1-20-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-1948]

(1) Identification of floor and roof truss construction. Floor and roof truss construction shall be identified by a placard or placards, in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(2) Placards. Placards shall be affixed where a building or a portion thereof is constructed with floor and/or roof trusses. The owner of the building shall be responsible for the installation of the placard.

(3) New buildings and buildings being added to. Placards shall be affixed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or a certificate of compliance.

(4) Existing buildings. Placards shall be provided in existing buildings. Placards shall be affixed within 90 days of being notified, in writing, by the Fire Code Official.

(5) Contents of placards. Placards shall be an isosceles triangle and shall be 12 inches horizontally by six inches vertically and constructed of metal or other weatherproof material. All letters shall have a stroke width of 1/4 inch (6.4 mm). The placard background shall be reflective white in color. The letters shall be reflective red in color. The following letters shall be printed on the inside of the isosceles triangle: "F" for floor framing, including girders and beams, "R" for roof framing, and "F/R" for both.

(6) Location. Placards shall be permanently affixed in a conspicuous location as approved by the Fire Code Official.

E. Section 605.11 shall be amended to include the additional requirements for placards for structures with solar panels:

[Added 1-20-2021 byOrd. No. 2021-1948]

(1) Identifying placards shall be permanently affixed to structures hosting or being powered by photovoltaic electrical power either on the roof or adjacent to the building. Depending upon the size and complexity of the structure, multiple placards may be required by the Fire Code Official.

(2) The solar placard shall be a Maltese cross shape, constructed of metal or other weatherproof material, with a white reflective background with red letters. Letters shall be Roman font.

(3) The placard shall be six inches by six inches (152 mm by 152 mm).

(4) The height or width of each Maltese cross wing area shall be 1 1/8 inches (29 mm) and have a stroke width of 1/2 inch (13 mm).

(5) The center of the Maltese cross, a circle or oval, shall be three inches (76 mm) in diameter and have a stroke width of 1/2 inch (13 mm).

(6) All letters and numerals shall be 1 1/4 inches (32 mm) in height and have a stroke width of 1/4 inch (six mm).

(7) The letters "PV" shall be located in the center circle of the Maltese cross to identify the presence of solar photovoltaic systems. The wording ROOF MOUNTED *and/or* ADJACENT shall be located immediately beneath the Maltese cross identifying where the solar panels are located.

(8) Placards shall be permanently affixed in a conspicuous location as approved by the Fire Code Official.

(9) Premises already equipped with a truss construction placard may install the solar placard immediately above the truss placard.

(10) Exception. Detached one- and two-family residential structures shall be exempt from the placard provisions.

(11) The address of the residential or nonresidential structure, the address of any other adjacent structure served by the solar photovoltaic system, and any additional information regarding the solar photovoltaic system shall be provided by the Fire Code Official and maintained in the Montgomery County Department of Public Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.

(12) The information contained in the CAD system shall serve to alert firefighters, when responding to an emergency, that a residential or nonresidential structure is equipped with, or is served by, a roof-mounted or adjacent solar photovoltaic system and that reasonable precautions may be necessary when responding to the emergency.

§ 204-4 Fire inspections.

[Added 1-20-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-1948]

A. Annual inspections. The Lansdale Borough Fire Marshal and designated Fire Code Official(s), as such officials are designated under the applicable International Fire Code, shall perform annual inspections of each commercial/business property as defined herein and located within Borough limits in order to safeguard the health and safety of the occupants thereof and to determine and enforce compliance with the codes, laws, and regulations applicable to such units and the structures containing such units. All inspections shall be conducted in conformance with the protections guaranteed businesses and/or individuals in the United States and Pennsylvania Constitution(s). To the extent permitted by law, the Fire Marshal and designated Fire Code Official(s) are authorized to enter, for the purpose of such inspection, all commercial businesses/properties, and it is the duty of commercial business/property owners to provide access to such properties upon request for said inspection.

B. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall mean as follows:

COMMERCIAL/BUSINESS PROPERTY(IES)

Any structure, building or property that is not used or intended for use for residential occupancy, including, but not limited to, any property that meets the definitions as outlined in the International Building Code as an assembly, business, educational, factory and industrial, high hazard, institutional, mercantile, residential, storage or utility and miscellaneous. For properties or buildings that have both residential and commercial-type or common space areas (i.e., apartment and condominium complexes), only the commercial and common space portions (i.e., mechanical rooms, lobbies, hallways, community rooms, laundry rooms, and the exterior property) of the structure or property shall be subject to inspection hereunder.

C. Notification. The Borough Fire Marshal or Fire Code Official shall notify the property or business owner of its intent to inspect the property or business at least five days prior to the inspection. Such notification shall be in the form of either a written communication or by phone.

D. Time for inspection. All inspections authorized herein shall be conducted during normal business hours of the commercial/business property or at the time when the businesses and/or commercial tenants have their hours of operation. Where there is an emergency, the Fire Marshal or Fire Code Official shall be permitted to inspect the commercial/building property during the time of the said emergency for any violations which may be present.

E. Violation notices. After the inspection, the individual performing the inspection shall submit any violations, in writing, to the commercial/business property owner or agent. The owner or agent must correct any violations within a time frame set by the Fire Marshal or Fire Code Official. Reinspections may be conducted every 30 days until the violations have been corrected. If the violation is deemed as a life-safety hazard, then the Fire Marshal or Fire Code Official may notify the commercial/business property owner or agent that the violation must be corrected immediately, or the commercial/business property will be closed until the violation is corrected.

F. Registration. Each commercial/business property subject to inspection hereunder shall register annually with the Lansdale Borough Code Enforcement Office.

G. Appeals. Any appeal of a violation notice or violation determination as made by the Fire Marshal or Fire Code Official shall be made in accordance with the appeal procedures set forth in the International Fire Code as in effect at the time of the violation notice or determination.

H. Fees. Fees assessable by the Borough of Lansdale for the administration, inspections, and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this section and the code shall be established by Borough Council by resolution from time to time.