(a) Except as limited by Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 140) of Division 1 of the Labor Code and Section 18930 of this code, the State Fire Marshal shall prepare and adopt building standards, not inconsistent with existing laws or ordinances, relating to fire protection in the design and construction of the means of egress and the adequacy of exits from, and the installation and maintenance of fire alarm and fire extinguishment equipment or systems in, any state institution or other state-owned building or in any specified state-occupied building and submit those building standards to the State Building Standards Commission for approval pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13. The State Fire Marshal shall prepare and adopt regulations other than building standards for the installation and maintenance of equipment and furnishings that present unusual fire hazards in any state institution or other state-owned building or in any specified state-occupied building. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt those regulations as are reasonably necessary to define what buildings shall be considered as state-occupied buildings.

(b) The fire chief of any city, county, city and county, or fire protection district, or that official’s authorized representative, may enter any state institution or any other state-owned or state-occupied building for the purpose of preparing a fire suppression preplanning program or for the purpose of investigating any fire in a state-occupied building.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the State Fire Marshal shall enforce the regulations adopted by the State Fire Marshal and building standards relating to fire and panic safety published in the California Building Standards Code in all state-owned buildings, specified state-occupied buildings, and state institutions throughout the state. Upon written request from the chief fire official of any city, county, city and county, or fire protection district, or a Designated Campus Fire Marshal, pursuant to Section 13146, the State Fire Marshal may authorize that person and their authorized representatives, in their geographical area of responsibility, to make fire prevention inspections of state-owned or specified state-occupied buildings, other than state institutions, for the purpose of enforcing the regulations relating to fire and panic safety adopted by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to this section and building standards relating to fire and panic safety published in the California Building Standards Code. Authorization from the State Fire Marshal shall be limited to those fire departments or fire districts that maintain a fire prevention bureau staffed by paid personnel.

(d) Any requirement or order made by a chief fire official or Designated Campus Fire Marshal pursuant to this section may be appealed to the State Fire Marshal. The State Fire Marshal shall, upon receiving an appeal and subject to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 18945) of Part 2.5 of Division 13, determine if the requirement or order made is reasonably consistent with the fire and panic safety regulations adopted by the State Fire Marshal and building standards relating to fire and panic safety published in the California Building Standards Code.

(e) For purposes of subdivisions (a) and (c), “specified state-occupied building” shall mean a building that is leased or rented by the state, in whole or in part, and is any of the following:

(1) A building where the state has entered into a build-to-suit lease.

(2) A trial court facility with a detention area.

(3) A building used by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a reentry facility.

(4) Any other building specified by the State Fire Marshal through adopted regulations.

(f) This section does not prohibit the State Fire Marshal from entering and enforcing the regulations relating to fire and panic safety adopted by the State Fire Marshal and building standards relating to fire and panic safety published in the California Building Standards Code in any publicly or privately owned building occupied by the state, in whole or in part, whenever the State Fire Marshal determines that enforcement by the State Fire Marshal is necessary for the safety of state workers or wards.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 31, Sec. 6. (SB 85) Effective June 27, 2019.)