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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 12Pt. 2Ch. 1Art. 2§ 13146 Fire Safety Enforcement Responsibility

§ 13146 Fire Safety Enforcement Responsibility

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 13146 Fire Safety Enforcement Responsibility

Key Takeaways

  • •Local cities or counties decide who checks fire safety in small homes (like apartments or houses with up to 2 families). They can pick the fire chief or the building chief to do this job.
  • •Fire departments are in charge of checking fire safety rules in most buildings, except small homes or special cases.
  • •If a place is not in a city or doesn’t have fire protection, the State Fire Marshal (the state’s top fire safety person) checks the fire safety rules.
  • •The State Fire Marshal can also check fire safety in cities or fire districts if the local fire chief or leaders ask for help.
  • •The State Fire Marshal is always in charge of checking fire safety in all University of California and California State University buildings and can pick someone else to do this job for them.

Example

A new apartment building is being built in a small town.

The town’s leaders must decide if the fire chief or the building chief will check if the apartment follows fire safety rules. If the town doesn’t have a fire department, the State Fire Marshal will check instead.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 13146 Fire Safety Enforcement Responsibility

(a) The responsibility for enforcement of building standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal and published in the California Building Standards Code relating to fire and panic safety and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal shall be as follows: (1) The city, county, or city and county with jurisdiction in the area affected by the standard or regulation shall delegate the enforcement of the building standards relating to fire and panic safety and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal as they relate to R-3 dwellings, as described in Section 310.5 of Part 2 of the California Building Standards Code, to either of the following: (A) The chief of the fire authority of the city, county, or city and county, or the chief’s authorized representative. (B) The chief building official of the city, county, or city and county, or the official’s authorized representative. (2) The chief of any city, county, or city and county fire department or of any fire protection district, and their authorized representatives, shall enforce within its jurisdiction the building standards and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal, except those described in paragraph (1) or (4). (3) The State Fire Marshal shall have authority to enforce the building standards and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal in areas outside of corporate cities and districts providing fire protection services. (4) The State Fire Marshal shall have authority to enforce the building standards and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal in corporate cities and districts providing fire protection services upon request of the chief fire official or the governing body. (5) The State Fire Marshal shall enforce the building standards and other regulations of the State Fire Marshal on all University of California campuses and properties administered or occupied by the University of California and on all California State University campuses and properties administered or occupied by the California State University. For each university campus or property the State Fire Marshal may delegate that responsibility to the person of the State Fire Marshal’s choice who shall be known as the Designated Campus Fire Marshal. (b) A fee may be charged pursuant to the enforcement authority of this section but shall not exceed the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service for which the fee is charged, pursuant to Section 66014 of the Government Code. (Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 31, Sec. 7. (SB 85) Effective June 27, 2019.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

state fire marshalenforcementuniversityr-3 dwellingsregulationthe state firesafetyauthority

Related Statutes

  • § 13143.2 Multiple-Story Fire Safety Enforcement
  • § 13143.8 Fire Marshal Dispute Resolution
  • § 13146.1 Jail Fire Safety Inspections
  • § 13146.2 Annual Fire Safety Inspections
  • § 13146.3 School Fire Safety Inspections

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 13146.
View Official Source