SENATE COMMUNITY AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 2948
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: MAY 6, 2024
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 2948.
As amended and reported, this bill requires that only structural engineers, architects, or employees with certified fire escape inspection companies perform compliance inspections for fire escapes and exterior stairways. Under current law, no building or structure can be occupied, prior to certain new occupancies and changes in occupancy, until a certificate of occupancy is issued by an enforcing agency. This bill amends current law to provide that, in the case of enforcing the fire code concerning fire escapes and exterior stairways, a certificate of occupancy can only be issued if the compliance inspection is conducted by a structural engineer, an architect, or an employee with a certified fire escape inspection company.
The bill also provides that, in order to be eligible for appointment in civil service or non-civil service municipalities, a construction or subcode official, in the case of an official responsible for enforcing the fire code concerning fire escapes and exterior stairways, is required to be a structural engineer, an architect, or an employee with a certified fire escape inspection company.
The bill also adds fire escapes and exterior stairways to the definition of "fire protection equipment" and adds the classification of "Fire Escape Contractor" as a certified classification to be issued by the Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner).
The bill provides that the commissioner is required to adopt regulations for the certification of fire escape inspection companies.
The bill also makes technical revisions.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amended the bill to add architects to the group of professionals permitted to perform compliance inspections and enforcing the fire code for fire escapes and exterior stairways.