A. For prevention and control of fires the state fire board shall formulate, adopt and promulgate, and amend or revise regulations for fire prevention and safe conduct or use of public occupancies. For the purposes of this provision "public occupancies" consist of places of assembly, educational occupancies, institutional occupancies, residential occupancies consisting of four (4) or more family units, mercantile occupancies, office occupancies, industrial occupancies, storage occupancies and miscellaneous structures consisting of towers, underground structures and windowless buildings and all buildings owned or occupied by the state government or any political subdivision thereof or by municipal governments; and regulations concerning the sale, servicing or use of fire safety, prevention, detection or suppression equipment or materials. The regulations shall be adopted after notice and public hearing. The notice shall be entitled "notice of proposed rule making" and it shall contain the date of the hearing and shall state the subject of the hearing. A copy of the notice, along with a copy of the proposed regulations, shall be filed with the supreme court librarian at least twenty (20) days prior to the hearing. In addition, the board shall make available for inspection at its offices, a copy of the proposed regulations.

B. The rules and regulations shall follow nationwide standards except in the area of life safety codes which shall be compatible with the Uniform Building Code, as revised from time to time, issued by the international conference of building officials.

C. The rules and regulations shall allow reasonable provision under which facilities in service prior to the effective date of the rules and regulations and not in strict conformity therewith may be continued in service. Noncomforming facilities in service prior to the adoption of regulations which are found by the marshal to constitute a distinct hazard to life or property shall not be exempt from regulations nor permitted to continue in service.

History: Laws 1984, ch. 127, § 961.