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 Austin
 Fire Protection Criteria Manual
 Section 1. INTRODUCTION

  § 1.2.0. USER INFORMATION  

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  • The Fire Department's involvement in the City's development processes occurs throughout all growth phases of a project. When considering the five (5) major steps in the City's development process, the Fire Department participates as a responsible department in three (3) of those steps (i.e., Site Plan, Building Permit and Construction). The Fire Department participates in the other two (2) major steps of the development process (i.e., Zoning and Subdivision) in a secondary manner. When special circumstances dictate a need for such expertise, the Fire Department will, upon the request of another City department or the Land Use Commission, participate actively in the zoning and subdivision steps for a given project.

    Fire Department Participation During the Five (5) Major Steps in Development

    Zoning (step 1) -  No primary Fire Department involvement.
    Subdivision (step 2) -  No primary Fire Department involvement except for replatting that involves flag lots, or as otherwise requested by the Land Use Commission.
    Site Plan (step 3) -  Fire Department Review for access and special hazards related to use and sufficient water availability at site.
    Building Permit (step 4) -  Complete Fire Code review for structural, occupancy, use, equipment and processes.
    -  Complete review of all fire protection systems.
    -  Complete Hazardous Materials review.
    -  Complete water supply and fire flow review.
    Construction (step 5) -  Construction inspections (e.g., site inspections, hydrostatic tests prior to cover up, etc).
    -  Certificate of occupancy inspections.
    -  Hazardous materials inspections during construction and for certificate of occupancy.

     

    Subsequent to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, the Fire Department is the lead agency in the maintenance inspections for projects. Additionally, the Fire Department issues several permits for which inspections are required. These permits may be issued and/or renewed subsequent to the certificate of occupancy.

    The Fire Code is a technically based document and does not elaborate upon the details of specific review and inspections processes which may be used for code implementation. Sections 2 and 3 offer administrative information pertaining to the purpose, code and standard references, permits and procedures for the various processes in which the Fire Department participates.

    Section 4 of this manual provides rules used to administer and implement the particular provisions of the Fire Code, National Fire Protection Association Standards and the local amendments.

    To determine the necessary submittal requirements needed to demonstrate compliance with the Fire Code, see the Building Criteria Manual and Appendix E of this manual.