(a)  Except as provided in Sections 18930 and 18933, the State Fire Marshal shall biennially prepare and publish listings of construction materials and equipment and methods of construction and of installation of equipment, together with the name of any person, firm, corporation, association, or similar organization designated as the manufacturer, representative, or supplier, which are in conformity with building standards relating to fire and panic safety adopted and published in the State Building Standards Code and other fire and panic safety requirements adopted by the State Fire Marshal and published in Title 19 of the California Administrative Code. The State Fire Marshal shall in alternate years prepare and publish revisions to the listings.

Copies of the listings or revisions shall be distributed by the State Fire Marshal at the costs incurred by him or her for the printing and distribution of the listings or revisions to persons who have submitted written requests for the approved listings or revisions.

The purpose of this section is to provide enforcement authorities, architects, engineers, contractors, local building officials, and any other interested persons, with a reliable and readily available source of information of construction materials, equipment, methods of construction, and installation of equipment which meet the minimum requirements established or enforced by the State Fire Marshal, pursuant to Sections 13108 and 13143. No person, firm, corporation, association, or similar organization shall be denied listing if the material to be listed is approved by a testing organization using testing procedures approved by the State Fire Marshal.

It shall not be construed that because a material, assemblies of materials, method of construction and installation of equipment have not been listed, as provided by this section, the material, assemblies of materials, method of construction and installation of equipment does not conform to the fire and panic safety requirements as published in the State Building Standards Code or in Title 19 of the California Administrative Code.

(b)  The State Fire Marshal may evaluate, test, approve, disapprove, and list any other fire safety product not covered in subdivision (a).

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 332, Sec. 29. Effective January 1, 1997.)