North Carolina SB 374: Licensing Certain Fire Safety Equip. Work.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 374

Short Title: Licensing Certain Fire Safety Equip. Work. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Lazzara and Barnes (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 24, 2025
*S374-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE LICENSING AND PERMITTING FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FIRMS 2
THAT INSTALL AND SERVICE PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND FIRE 3
SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. Chapter 58 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 6
to read: 7
"Article 82C. 8
"Licensing and Permitting for the Installation and Servicing of Portable Fire Extinguishers and 9
Fire Suppression Systems. 10
"§ 58-82C-1. Definitions. 11
The following definitions apply in this Article: 12
(1) Engineered special hazard fire suppression system. – A fire suppression 13
system having pipe lengths, number of fittings, number and types of nozzles, 14
suppression agent flow rates, and nozzle pressures calculated based on 15
appropriate standards of the National Fire Protection Association. An 16
engineered fire suppression system may include other components, including, 17
but not limited to, detection devices, alarm devices, and control devices as 18
tested and approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, where the 19
component's manufacturer determines the component is compatible with the 20
fire suppression system. 21
(2) Fire suppression system. – Any firefighting system employing a suppression 22
agent with the purpose of controlling, suppressing, or extinguishing a fire in a 23
specific hazard, including pre-engineered kitchen fire suppression systems, 24
pre-engineered industrial fire suppression systems, and engineered special 25
hazard fire suppression systems. 26
(3) Firm. – Any business, person, partnership, organization, association, 27
corporation, contractor, subcontractor, or individual. 28
(4) Industrial fire suppression system. – A pre-engineered automatic fire 29
extinguishing system provided for the protection of property or equipment as 30
described by the manufacturer other than those systems covered under the 31
definition of kitchen fire suppression system. 32
(5) Kitchen fire suppression system. – An automatic fire extinguishing system 33
provided for the protection of grease removal devices, hoods, duct systems, 34
and cooking equipment. This term also includes "restaurant fire suppression 35
system." 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 374-First Edition
(6) License. – The document issued by the State Fire Marshal which authorizes a 1
firm to engage in the business of installation, repair, recharging, inspection, 2
service, or testing of fire suppression systems or portable fire extinguishers. 3
(7) Permit. – The document issued by the State Fire Marshal which authorizes an 4
individual to install, inspect, repair, recharge, service, or test fire suppression 5
systems or portable fire extinguishers. 6
(8) Portable fire extinguisher. – A portable device containing an extinguishing 7
agent that can be expelled under pressure for the purpose of suppressing or 8
extinguishing a fire. 9
(9) Pre-engineered fire suppression system. – Any system having predetermined 10
flow rates, nozzle pressures, and quantities of an extinguishing agent. 11
(10) State Fire Marshal. – The head of the North Carolina Office of the State Fire 12
Marshal as defined in G.S. 58-78A-1(c). 13
(11) Suppression agent. – A currently recognized agent or water additive required 14
to control, suppress, or extinguish a fire. 15
"§ 58-82C-2. State Fire Marshal to administer Article; rules and regulations. 16
(a) The State Fire Marshal, through the Office of the State Fire Marshal, shall have full 17
power and authority to administer the provisions of this Article, including adopting rules to 18
enforce the purposes and provisions of this Article. 19
(b) The State Fire Marshal shall establish rules for the following: 20
(1) Proper installation, inspection, recharging, repairing, servicing, or testing of 21
fire suppression systems or portable fire extinguishers. 22
(2) Required specifications as to the number, type, size, shape, color, and 23
information and data contained thereon of service tags to be attached to all 24
portable fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems covered by this 25
Article when they are installed, inspected, recharged, repaired, serviced, or 26
tested. 27
(c) The State Fire Marshal may adopt by rule the applicable standards of the National 28
Fire Protection Association or another nationally recognized organization if the standards are 29
judged by the State Fire Marshal to be suitable for the enforcement of this Article. All fire 30
suppression systems and portable fire extinguishers covered by G.S. 58-82C-3 shall be installed, 31
inspected, recharged, repaired, serviced, or tested in compliance with this Article and with the 32
State Fi