HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 818        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2089

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Ruth B. Balser and Kenneth J. Donnelly

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to enhanced fire protection in new one and two family dwellings.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Kenneth J. Donnelly

Fourth Middlesex

1/30/2015

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/14/2015

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

1/14/2015

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

1/14/2015

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Geoff Diehl

7th Plymouth

1/14/2015

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

2/3/2015

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/14/2015

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

1/14/2015

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Jennifer L. Flanagan

Worcester and Middlesex

1/14/2015

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

1/14/2015

Thomas P. Kennedy

Second Plymouth and Bristol

1/14/2015

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

1/14/2015

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/14/2015

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/14/2015


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 818        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2089

By Representative Balser of Newton and Senator Donnelly, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2089) of Ruth B. Balser. Kenneth J. Donnelly and others for legislation to authorize municipalities to require automatic sprinkler protection systems in certain housing.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to enhanced fire protection in new one and two family dwellings.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 148 of the General laws, as appearing in the 2012 “Official Edition”, is hereby amended by adding the following new section:-

Section 26J.  In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, every newly constructed building, designed or used for residential occupancy and containing not more than two dwelling units, shall be protected throughout with an adequate system of automatic sprinklers installed in accordance with the provisions of the state building code.  The provisions of this section shall apply to any such newly constructed building for which a building permit is issued on or after one year from the acceptance of this act by a city or town.

The head of the fire department shall enforce the provisions of this section.

Whoever is aggrieved by the head of the fire department’s interpretation, order, requirement, direction or failure to act under the provisions of this section, may, within forty-five days after the service of notice thereof, appeal from such interpretation, order, requirement, direction, or failure to act, to the board of appeals as provided in section 201 of chapter six.

SECTION 2.  Section 27A of chapter 148, as so appearing, is amended by inserting, after the word “service”, in lines 17 and 18, the following new sentence:- This section shall not apply to the seasonal shut-off of automatic sprinklers installed in accordance with the provisions of section 26J of chapter 148, when such shut off has been conducted in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations.  For purposes of this section, the Board shall determine what constitutes a seasonal shutoff of automatic sprinklers.