Compliance Information & Helpful Guides
Introduction to Compliance & AHJs
Compliance means following laws, regulations, and standards set by authorities. It ensures businesses operate ethically and safely, protecting employees, customers.
When we add compliance to the fire and life safety industry, we are specifically talking about following the state law and regulations regarding building codes and fire codes within your jurisdiction - ultimately the authority having jurisdiction (or “AHJ” as commonly referred to) with dictate these. Some locations might have multiple AHJs that they must adhere to strict guidelines and regulations.
Key aspects include:
Understanding Rules & Regulations: Keeping informed about relevant laws and guidelines.
Implementation: Putting procedures in place to meet these standards.
Monitoring: Regularly checking practices to ensure ongoing compliance.
Reporting: Documenting and reporting compliance efforts to authorities when required.
FIND YOUR AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION
Click HERE for a useful map to help narrow down your fire district (this map excludes Pikes Peak Regional Building Department / Colorado Springs Fire Department located in Colorado Springs, CO and City & County of Denver / Denver Fire Department). For Denver’s district map, please click HERE. For South Metro’s district map, please click HERE.
Here are some examples of AHJs:
Fire Marshall’s & Building Plan Reviewers
Joint Commission (Hospitals, Memory Care Facilities)
Cross Connection Backflow Programs / Water Districts (such as Denver Water)
Preparation is a critical part of protecting your business, customers, and employees in the event of a fire. Ensuring your facility meets fire and life safety compliance standards is one of the most effective ways to stay ready. As a commercial fire and life safety provider, our top priority is helping you safeguard lives and maintain full regulatory compliance during a fire emergency.
Safeguard your business
Preparedness Starts with Awareness
Understand Rules & Regulations
The Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control outlines the building codes, fire codes, and more within the Colorado Code of Regulations, available HERE.
The Colorado Department of Health Public Health and Enviroment list the backflow prevention and cross-connection control regulations (BPCCC) found HERE:
Within the state laws, the individual city and fire protection districts might have additional rules and regulations. I would reach out to the city and fire protection district for more information.
Know your inspection frequencies and the fire systems of your location
Not all addresses and service locations will have the same fire systems, so it’s important to first understand what’s your property or building has, in order to properly maintain the inspection frequency. This is especially vital if you are looking in buying a new property, or taking over the management for an existing property, or you’ve recently built a new property.
Typically what these are the most common frequencies found in Colorado:
Annual NFPA-25 Inspection of Fire Sprinkler Systems including deluge, pre-action, wet, foam, and dry sprinkler systems
Annual NFPA-72 Inspection and Testing of Fire Alarm Systems
Annual NFPA-25 Inspection of Fire Pumps (both diesel and electric) + monthly churn tests
Annual NFPA 10 Fire Extinguisher Inspections + monthly inspections that can be performed by a location’s personnel or staff
Annual Backflow Testing as required by the water authority
Annual Inspections of Clean Agent Systems (found in museums, server rooms, evidence lockers)
There are more frequencies and code books than what has been provided.