Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 1078
By the Committee on Banking and Insurance; and Senator McClain
597-02254-25 20251078c1
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 to commence immediately;
9 requiring the local enforcement agency to provide an
10 inspection within a specified timeframe; requiring
11 that certain plans and specifications be available for
12 an onsite plans review during an inspection; requiring
13 a contractor to provide additional documents, if
14 necessary, within a specified timeframe; prohibiting a
15 local enforcement agency from requiring additional
16 plans reviews or documentation outside the scope of
17 the permitted work; requiring that permit fees be
18 refunded by a certain percentage if a local government
19 fails to meet certain deadlines; providing exceptions;
20 requiring local enforcement agencies to establish a
21 simplified permitting process by a specified date;
22 amending s. 633.202, F.S.; specifying a condition
23 under which a local amendment to the Florida Fire
24 Prevention Code is null and void; providing that a
25 municipality may enforce only an ordinance that has
26 been sent to the Florida Building Commission and the
27 State Fire Marshal as of the date that the bid for a
28 permit was submitted; amending s. 633.312, F.S.;
29 requiring that a uniform summary inspection report
30 include the total number of deficiencies found during
31 the inspection of a fire protection system or hydrant;
32 deleting the requirement for a brief summary of such
33 deficiencies; deleting an exception from submitting
34 certain information within a detailed inspection
35 report; providing an effective date.
36
37 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
38
39 Section 1. Present paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection
40 (1) of section 553.7932, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
41 paragraphs (b) through (e), respectively, present paragraph (c)
42 of subsection (1), subsections (3) and (4), and paragraphs (a)
43 and (b) of subsection (5) are amended, and new paragraph (a) of
44 subsection (1) and subsections (6) and (7) are added to that
45 section, to read:
46 553.7932 Simplified permitting processes.—
47 (1) As used in this section, the term:
48 (a) “Alteration” means to add, install, relocate, replace,
49 or remove.
50 (d)(c) “Fire alarm system project” means a fire alarm
51 system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer initiating devices
52 and notification devices;, or the installation or replacement of
53 a fire communicator connected to an existing fire alarm control
54 panel in an existing commercial, residential, apartment,
55 cooperative, or condominium building; or the replacement of an
56 existing fire alarm panel using the same make and model as the
57 existing panel.
58 (3) A local enforcement agency must issue a permit for a
59 fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler system project in
60 person or electronically within 2 business days after submission
61 of a completed application. A contractor may commence work
62 authorized by the permit immediately after submission of a
63 completed application.
64 (4) The a local enforcement agency must provide an
65 inspection within 3 business days after such inspection is
66 requested require at least one inspection of a fire alarm system
67 project or fire sprinkler system project to ensure compliance
68 with applicable codes and standards. If a fire alarm system
69 project or fire sprinkler system project fails an inspection,
70 the contractor must take corrective action as necessary to pass
71 inspection.
72 (5)(a) For a fire alarm system project, a contractor must
73 keep a copy of the plans and specifications at the fire alarm
74 system project worksite and make such plans and specifications
75 available to the inspector for an onsite plans review at each
76 inspection. If the local enforcement agency determines that it
77 needs documents for recording purposes, the contractor must
78 provide such documentation in paper or electronic form to the
79 local enforcement agency within 4 business days after the
80 inspection or 4 days after the documentation is requested,
81 whichever is later. The local enforcement agency may not require
82 additional plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices
83 outside the scope of permitted work, as needed on permit
84 applications.
85 (b) For a fire sprinkler system project to alter an
86 existing fire protection system, a contractor must keep a copy
87 of the plans and specifications at the fire sprinkler system
88 project worksite and make such plans and specifications
89 available to the inspector at each inspection. If the local
90 enforcement agency determines that it needs additional documents
91 for recording purposes, the contractor must provide such
92 documentation in paper or electronic form to the local
93 enforcement agency within 4 business days after the inspection
94 or 4 days after the documentation is requested, whichever is
95 later. The local enforcement agency may not require additional
96 plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices outside the
97 scope of permitted work, as needed on permit applications.
98 (6) A local government that fails to meet a deadline under
99 subsection (3) or subsection (4) must refund the permit fee by
100 10 percent for each business day after such failure, unless the
101 local government and contractor agree in writing to a reasonable
102 extension of time, the delay is caused by the applicant, or the
103 delay is attributable to a force majeure or other extraordinary
104 circumstances. Each 10 percent refund shall be based on the
105 original amount of the permit fee.
106 (7) By October 1, 2025, a local enforcement agency must
107 establish a simplified permitting process that complies with
108 this section.
109 Section 2. Subsection (9) of section 633.202, Florida
110 Statutes, is amended to read:
111 633.202 Florida Fire Prevention Code.—
112 (9)(a) The State Fire Marshal shall make rules that
113 implement this section and ss. 633.104 and 633.208 for the
114 purpose of accomplishing the objectives set forth in those
115 sections.
116 (b) If a county or municipality fails to adhere to the
117 requirements of this section when adopting an ordinance for a
118 local amendment to the Florida Fire Prevention Code, the local
119 amendment is null and void. A municipality may enforce only an
120 ordinance that has been sent to the Florida Building Commission
121 and the State Fire Marshal pursuant to subsection (8) as of the
122 date that the bid for a permit was 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 a brief summary of each deficiency, critical
138 deficiency, noncritical deficiency, or impairment found. A
139 contractor’s detailed inspection report is not required to
140 follow the uniform summary inspection report format. The State
141 Fire Marshal shall establish by rule a submission procedure for
142 each means provided under paragraph (a) by which a local
143 authority having jurisdiction may accept uniform summary
144 inspection reports. Each of the submission procedures must allow
145 a contractor to attach additional documents with the submission
146 of a uniform summary inspection report, including a physical
147 copy of the contractor’s detailed inspection report. A
148 submission procedure may not require a contractor to submit
149 information contained within the detailed inspection report
150 unless the information is required to be included in the uniform
151 summary inspection report.
152 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.