La. Admin. Code tit. 55 § V-2713

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section V-2713 - Design and Component Review

A. General. A plan approval of each building and modular component design shall be contingent upon compliance with the requirements of the State Fire Marshal, these rules, and the codes and standards referenced in R.S. 40:1730.56. The applicant shall submit plans and information as required by §2713. B for all new construction of buildings and renovations to existing buildings for approval by the office of State Fire Marshal in accordance with R.S. 40:1730.59 and R.S. 40:1730.66. The Office of State Fire Marshal, upon review of the plans, may request any additional information necessary to evaluate the plans submitted and shall notify the applicant of any apparent errors or omissions. Manufacturing, modifications, or alterations shall not commence until a full submittal to the State Fire Marshal has been made in accordance with this Section and a complete plan review has been performed by either an approved third-party or the State Fire Marshal. Plan approvals are valid for 180 days from the date of the review, or until notification that the applicable standards referenced in R.S. 40:1730.56 are to be updated, modified, or changed, whichever is later.

B. Third-Party Plan Review

1. All building code plan reviews performed by a third-party must be documented in writing to the State Fire Marshal. The plan review report, as a minimum, shall contain the following information:

a. name of registered third-party inspector and council issued registration number;

b. name of manufacturer and State Fire Marshal issued registration number;

c. date of plan review;

d. the identification number, plan number, or serial number of the building or component reviewed;

e. a list of all applicable codes and editions reviewed for compliance;

f a statement indicating that information contained in the design plan submittal (pursuant to §2713. C) has been reviewed for compliance with the applicable codes;

g. a final report indicating any nonconformities observed and corrective actions required, when applicable.

2. A copy of the reviewed and approved plans shall be submitted with the plan review report to the State Fire Marshal for oversight along with any additional information required with the design plan submittal pursuant to §2713. C Manufacturing may commence upon approval from the registered third-party; however, any additional deficiencies detected by the State Fire Marshal during the design plan submittal review shall be corrected. Decals shall not be affixed to the building or component until oversight has been performed by the State Fire Marshal.

C. Design Plan Submittal. Complete sets of design plans and specifications shall be prepared and sealed by an architect or engineer licensed to practice in the state of Louisiana when required by Louisiana law or by the State Fire Marshal. Plans shall be drawn to scale and shall be legible for reproduction purposes. Supporting calculations and any required test results shall also be provided for each building design to be reviewed. Information required with each design plan submittal shall be as indicated on the "industrialized buildings plan review checklist" as provided by the State Fire Marshal. A computerized version in an acceptable electronic format shall also be provided for each standard design. The required information for each design shall be submitted with an industrialized building plan review application, a decal request form as provided by the State Fire Marshal, and the appropriate fees as indicated in §2737 herein. The State Fire Marshal shall review the applicant's submittal and, if deficiencies are detected during the review, shall issue a plan review letter identifying the deficiencies. A revised submittal indicating corrections to these deficiencies shall be resubmitted to the State Fire Marshal within 21 days of the date of the letter for further review. Once the submittal has been determined to have no deficiencies, the State Fire Marshal shall affix a stamp to each page of the plans and the specifications cover pages reviewed. The submittal package shall be returned with a review letter indicating the limitations of the review along with the requested decals. If corrections to deficiencies are not received within 21 days of the date of the letter, the project will be found to be "not in compliance". Plan review fees for submittals found "not in compliance" are not refundable.

D. Modular Component and Modular Section Review. The applicant shall submit to the State Fire Marshal for review a modular component or modular section which may include any or all elements for use as part of a building, such as structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical components and/or fire protection systems. Submission shall include all applicable documents and data as indicated in the "design plan submittal" above, providing complete information necessary for evaluation of the component's performance and capabilities for its intended use.

E. Fire Protection Systems Review. Life safety and property protection systems must be submitted to the State Fire Marshal for review by a life safety and property protection contractor licensed by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to §2719 herein.

F. Equivalent Methods of Compliance. In accordance with R.S. 40:1730.61, any proposed equivalent or alternative materials or methods of compliance with the referenced codes and standards, except for the Louisiana State Plumbing Code, that are not expressly prescribed therein shall be submitted to the State Fire Marshal for review. Justification for the request and supporting data shall be submitted with a "proposed equivalency to code request for appeal" application provided by the State Fire Marshal and the appropriate review fee. If the State Fire Marshal determines, from an engineering performance standpoint, that sufficient evidence has been provided to substantiate that the proposed alternative is at least the equivalent of that prescribed by the referenced codes and standards, the State Fire Marshal may approve the use of such material or method. Such approval shall not be construed as an amendment to the technical codes and standards and shall only apply to the specific scope of work identified by a State Fire Marshal issued project number.

G. Scope of Plan Review. The scope of an industrialized building, modular component, or modular section plan review is limited to aspects of construction performed at the place of manufacture. The "industrialized building" plan review letter shall not be used to obtain a permit for site installation.

H. Site-Specific Plan Review Submittal. Industrialized buildings manufactured and decaled pursuant to §2723 herein, purchased and ready for site-specific installation, shall be submitted to the State Fire Marshal by the owner or his authorized agent for review and approval in accordance with R.S. 40:1730.66 and R.S. 40:1574, prior to obtaining a building permit from the applicable jurisdiction. The industrialized building decal number shall be provided by the owner upon submittal to the State Fire Marshal for this site-specific review.

I. Manufacturer's Modular Data Plate. The manufacturer shall install on all industrialized (modular) buildings and components, prior to leaving the manufacturing plant, a data plate which shall be permanently mounted on or about the electrical panel, if provided, or as documented on approved plans, and which shall contain, but not be limited to, the following design information when applicable.

1. manufacturer;

2. manufacturer registration number;

3. date of manufacture;

4. date of alteration, if any;

5. number of modules (decal and data plate must be installed on each module);

6. construction type;

7. occupancy use classification;

8. serial number;

9. fire marshal plan review number(s);

10. maximum floor load(s) (pounds per square foot, first floor and upper floors), live load and concentrated load;

11. roof load; live load and snow load;

12. wind velocity rating;

13. "r" value of floor, wall, and roof;

14. approved for flood zone usage (yes/no);

15. applicable codes and editions.

La. Admin. Code tit. 55, § V-2713

Promulgated by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of the State Fire Marshal Code Enforcement and Building Safety, LR 35:2470 (November 2009), amended LR 36:1022 (May 2010).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 40:1730.51 through 1730.66.