HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2141        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2481

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Ruth B. Balser and Paul J. Donato

_________________

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

1/19/2017

Paul J. Donato

35th Middlesex

2/1/2017

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

 

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

 

James J. Dwyer

30th Middlesex

 

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

 

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

 

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

 

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

 

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

 

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

12th Worcester

 

Jennifer L. Flanagan

Worcester and Middlesex

 

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

 

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2141        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2481

By Representatives Balser of Newton and Donato of Medford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2481) of Ruth B. Balser, Paul J. Donato and others for legislation to authorize municipalities to require automatic sprinkler protection systems in certain housing.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2089 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

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.