Florida Senate - 2025 CS for CS for SB 1078
By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Banking and
Insurance; and Senator McClain
578-02825-25 20251078c2
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 local government may only enforce an ordinance that
30 has been sent to the Florida Building Commission and
31 the State Fire Marshal as of the date that the bid for
32 a permit was submitted; requiring a local government
33 to submit adopted local amendments to the Florida Fire
34 Prevention Code to specified entities within a
35 specified timeframe; amending s. 633.312, F.S.;
36 revising what must be included in a uniform inspection
37 report; deleting the requirement for a brief summary
38 of such deficiencies; deleting an exception from
39 submitting certain information within a detailed
40 inspection report; providing an effective date.
41
42 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
43
44 Section 1. Present paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection
45 (1) of section 553.7932, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
46 paragraphs (b) through (e), respectively, a new paragraph (a) is
47 added to that subsection, present paragraph (c) of subsection
48 (1), subsections (3) and (4), and paragraphs (a) and (b) of
49 subsection (5) are amended, and new subsections (6) and (7) are
50 added to that section, to read:
51 553.7932 Simplified permitting processes.—
52 (1) As used in this section, the term:
53 (a) “Alteration” means to add, install, relocate, replace,
54 or remove.
55 (d)(c) “Fire alarm system project” means a fire alarm
56 system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer initiating devices
57 and notification devices;, or the installation or replacement of
58 a fire communicator connected to an existing fire alarm control
59 panel in an existing commercial, residential, apartment,
60 cooperative, or condominium building; or the replacement of an
61 existing fire alarm panel using the same make and model as the
62 existing panel.
63 (3) A local enforcement agency must issue a permit for a
64 fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler system project in
65 person or electronically within 2 business days after submission
66 of a completed application. A contractor may commence work
67 authorized by the permit immediately after submission of a
68 completed application.
69 (4) The a local enforcement agency must provide an
70 inspection within 3 business days after such inspection is
71 requested require at least one inspection of a fire alarm system
72 project or fire sprinkler system project to ensure compliance
73 with applicable codes and standards. If a fire alarm system
74 project or fire sprinkler system project fails an inspection,
75 the contractor must take corrective action as necessary to pass
76 inspection.
77 (5)(a) For a fire alarm system project, a contractor must
78 keep a copy of the plans and specifications at the fire alarm
79 system project worksite and make such plans and specifications
80 available to the inspector for an onsite plans review at each
81 inspection. If the local enforcement agency determines that it
82 needs documents for recording purposes, the contractor must
83 provide such documentation in paper or electronic form to the
84 local enforcement agency within 4 business days after the
85 inspection or 4 days after the documentation is requested,
86 whichever is later. The local enforcement agency may not require
87 additional plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices
88 outside the scope of permitted work, as needed on permit
89 applications.
90 (b) For a fire sprinkler system project to alter an
91 existing fire protection system, a contractor must keep a copy
92 of the plans and specifications at the fire sprinkler system
93 project worksite and make such plans and specifications
94 available to the inspector at each inspection. If the local
95 enforcement agency determines that it needs additional documents
96 for recording purposes, the contractor must provide such
97 documentation in paper or electronic form to the local
98 enforcement agency within 4 business days after the inspection
99 or 4 days after the documentation is requested, whichever is
100 later. The local enforcement agency may not require additional
101 plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices outside the
102 scope of permitted work, as needed on permit applications.
103 (6) A local government that fails to meet a deadline under
104 subsection (3) or subsection (4) must refund the permit fee by
105 10 percent for each business day after such failure, unless the
106 local government and contractor agree in writing to a reasonable
107 extension of time, the delay is caused by the applicant, or the
108 delay is attributable to a force majeure or other extraordinary
109 circumstances. Each 10 percent refund shall be based on the
110 original amount of the permit fee.
111 (7) By October 1, 2025, a local enforcement agency must
112 establish a simplified permitting process that complies with
113 this section.
114 Section 2. Subsection (9) of section 633.202, Florida
115 Statutes, is amended to read:
116 633.202 Florida Fire Prevention Code.—
117 (9)(a) The State Fire Marshal shall make rules that
118 implement this section and ss. 633.104 and 633.208 for the
119 purpose of accomplishing the objectives set forth in those
120 sections.
121 (b) If a local government fails to adhere to the
122 requirements of this section when adopting an ordinance for a
123 local amendment to the Florida Fire Prevention Code, the local
124 amendment is unenforceable. A local government may only enforce
125 an ordinance that has been sent to the Florida Building
126 Commission and the State Fire Marshal pursuant to subsection (8)
127 as of the date that the bid for a permit was submitted. A local
128 government shall submit an adopted local amendment to the
129 Florida Fire Prevention Code to all of the local government’s
130 registered fire protection contractors within 7 business days
131 after the local government adopts the local amendment.
132 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
133 633.312, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
134 633.312 Inspection of fire control systems, fire hydrants,
135 and fire protection systems.—
136 (3)
137 (b) The State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules to implement a
138 uniform summary inspection report and submission procedures to
139 be used by all third-party vendors and local authorities having
140 jurisdiction. For purposes of this section, a uniform summary
141 inspection report must record the address at which where the
142 fire protection system or hydrant is located, the company and
143 person conducting the inspection and their license number, the
144 date of the inspection, and the fire protection system or
145 hydrant inspection status, including the total number of
146 deficiencies found, separated into critical and noncritical
147 categories, and the total number of impairment deficiencies,
148 with a brief summary of each impairment deficiency a brief
149 summary of each deficiency, critical deficiency, noncritical
150 deficiency, or impairment found. A contractor’s detailed
151 inspection report is not required to follow the uniform summary
152 inspection report format. The State Fire Marshal shall establish
153 by rule a submission procedure for each means provided under
154 paragraph (a) by which a local authority having jurisdiction may
155 accept uniform summary inspection reports. Each of the
156 submission procedures must allow a contractor to attach
157 additional documents with the submission of a uniform summary
158 inspection report, including a physical copy of the contractor’s
159 detailed inspection report. A submission procedure may not
160 require a contractor to submit information contained within the
161 detailed inspection report unless the information is required to
162 be included in the uniform summary inspection report.
163 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.