The intent of the fire inspection is to ensure your building is as safe as possible for patrons and employees. This also includes making the building safe if our firefighters who may have to enter the building during a fire or other emergency.

During a fire inspection, the Fire Code Official (Fire Inspector) will tour the entire facility including all rooms and areas. The Fire Inspector will document all fire code violations and may provide recommendations to remedy the violations. It will be the responsibility of the building owner or facility representative (business owner) to correct the violations. The violations will be documented on an inspection report and a copy of the completed report will then be provided to the facility representative. The Town of Waxhaw will then send an invoice to the business or building owner for the fire inspection fee established in the Town of Waxhaw User Fee Schedule. The business or building owner does not have to be present during the fire inspection, however, the representative on site during the inspection must have full access to the entire building. The fire inspector will generally allow 30 days for non-life safety violations to be corrected and perform a re-inspection. If after the first re-inspection the violations are not corrected a second re-inspection will be scheduled and a re-inspection fee assessed and invoiced through the Town of Waxhaw. All imminent life safety violations shall be corrected immediately.

Annual Inspections

• Assembly Occupancies - Restaurants, clubs, gyms and places of entertainment, etc. with an occupant load over 100
• High - Hazard - Hazardous materials, flammable liquids and explosives facilities, etc.
• High-Rise Buildings – All use types
• Institutional Facilities - Hospital, nursing homes, licensed care facilities, jails, etc.
• Residential Locations – Apartments, hotels, motels, dormitories, etc.

Two Year Inspections

• Factory / Industrial Facilities – Manufacturing and assembly plants, etc.

Three Year Inspections

• Assembly Areas – With an occupant load less than 100
• Businesses – Banks, shops, office buildings, adult education occupancies
• Mercantile Facilities - Department stores, drug stores, markets, retail or wholesale stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.
• Miscellaneous Facilities – Tanks, silos, greenhouses, etc.
• Religious Facilities - Churches and synagogues
• Storage Facilities – Warehouses, garages, hangers, etc.

The Fire Marshal performs construction related fire inspections on new buildings and existing building up fits. These inspections are directly part of the certificate of occupancy inspection process. Construction inspections include but are not limited to:

• Underground Fire Line Inspection & Flush
• Rough-In Fire Sprinkler Piping Inspection
• Final Fire Sprinkler Acceptance testing
• Final Fire Alarm Acceptance testing
• Rough-In Standpipe Piping Inspection
• Final Standpipe Piping Inspection and flow test
• Fire Extinguishing System acceptance testing (hood suppression and paint booth suppression systems)
• Final Fire Building & Site Inspection
• Lock Keys in Knox Box
• Tank Installation and all components

In addition to fire protection systems acceptance testing, a fire inspection must be performed before the certificate of occupancy is issued. The fire inspection will include but will not be limited to the following items:

1. Address characters shall be visible from street
2. Verify proper location of Knox Box if required and correct keys on site to be locked in the box
3. Verify the correct size, type and placement of fire extinguishers
4. Provide signage as required.
5. Provide the letters “FACP” on all unobvious doors that give access to the fire alarm control panel. This can be accomplished with self-adhesive letters, stencil, or a sign with minimum three-inch high letters in contrast to the door colors.
6. Provide the letters “RISER ROOM” on all doors that give access to the riser. This can be accomplished with self-adhesive letters, stencil, or a sign with minimum three-inch high letters in contrast to the door colors.
7. Provide on the suite front doors the “SUITE NUMBER OR LETTER”. This can be accomplished with self-adhesive characters, stencil, or a sign with minimum 6-inch high characters in contrast to the door colors.
8. Provide on the suite rear or side doors the “SUITE NUMBER OR LETTER” and “BUILDING ADDRESS NUMBERS”. This can be accomplished with self-adhesive characters, stencil, or a sign with minimum 6-inch high characters in contrast to the door colors.
9. Verify fire lanes are appropriately marked.
10. Where designated, fire lanes shall not be less than 20 feet wide at any point, and curves and corners shall be wide enough to permit the passage or operation of all fire equipment. The surface of the fire lanes shall be an all-weather surface and shall be of sufficient strength to support all firefighting apparatus used by the fire department 75,000 pounds.
11. All fire lanes and access roads must be maintained by the property owner, which includes painting pavement and placing permanent “NO PARKING FIRE LANE” signs.
12. Outlining or painting the fire lane on the roadway surfaces shall be done in red with white letters that read "NO PARKING FIRE LANE" at 50-foot intervals or as otherwise directed.
13. Fire lanes shall be marked with permanent "NO PARKING FIRE LANE" signs.
14. Signs shall be placed along the fire lane at intervals not to exceed 200 feet.
15. Signs shall measure 12 by 18 inches; have red letters on a white reflective background.
16. Signs must be metal construction only; plastic or wooden signs are not acceptable.
17. The bottom of the sign should be 7 feet from grade.
18. The post should be at least 18” from the curb but not more than 24” from the curb.
19. Any "NO PARKING FIRE LANE" sign posted without proper approval must be removed.
20. If the building stores hazardous materials of any kind, a hazardous materials inventory statement must be submitted to the Fire Marshal’s Office.
21. Any operational fire permits required by the North Carolina Fire Code shall be issued before certificate of occupancy is issued.

When building passes final fire inspection, the Town of Waxhaw Building Inspections will be notified by the Fire Marshal that a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued. The Town of Waxhaw does not issue any type of temporary certificate of occupancy.

The Fire Marshal reviews all preliminary and construction development drawings that are submitted through the Town of Waxhaw review and shop drawing process. Plan submittals may be submitted via www.dropbox.com or other file hosting service directly to the Fire Marshal’s office or to the Permitting office. Please see the Town of Waxhaw User Fee Schedule for applicable submittal fees.

Shop Drawing Submittal Process

Shop drawings must be submitted in electronic format delivered to:

Waxhaw Town Hall
1150 North Broome Street
Waxhaw, NC 28173

Timeline

• Shop drawings shall be submitted after the building permit issuance. Installation shall not take place until plans are reviewed and approved.
• Plans will be reviewed within 5 business days from the date the Fire Code Official receives them. The Fire Code Official will notify the submitter when the review has been completed.

If upgrading fire alarm using "like for like" shop drawings, submittal will not be required. Testing of system will still be required.

The erection of a temporary tent greater than 800 square feet, or open sided canopy greater than 700 square feet is required to be inspected and obtain an Operational Permit issued by the Fire Marshal. A minimum clearance of 12 feet to structures and other tents shall be provided.

Permit Applications for a tent or temporary membrane structure must include:

• Detailed site plan
• Tent size
• Intended use of the tent
• Date of installation and tear down
• Duration of use

When Will the Fire Inspector Show Up?

Fire Inspections occur based on cycles required by the State of North Carolina. The Fire Inspector will typically arrive unannounced for the inspection, however, the Fire Inspector will take in to consideration the business type and possible busy times for the business before attempting the inspection.

What Types of Buildings are Required to be Inspected?

All commercial properties and residential facilities in the Town of Waxhaw must be inspected. The residential properties are limited to properties other than single family dwellings and duplexes. There may be an occurrence where a single family home will be inspected by the Fire Marshal’s Office. This applies to homes that operate as a group home, foster care home, or a day care.

What Will Happen if the Violations are Not Corrected?

If the requirements are not corrected, the Town of Waxhaw will seek further administrative enforcement action through the legal system. Keep in mind these are requirements for the Town of Waxhaw and the State of North Carolina; in turn, they must be corrected. In some circumstances issues are discovered that are considered immediately dangerous to life or health. If a situation like this is discovered, the facility is required to immediately fix the problem.