SENATE DOCKET, NO. 892        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1552

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael O. Moore

_________________

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:

 

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

 

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/24/2023

Jessica Ann Giannino

16th Suffolk

1/24/2023

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

1/25/2023

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

2/8/2023

John C. Velis

Hampden and Hampshire

2/8/2023

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/15/2023

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

2/22/2023

Lydia Edwards

Third Suffolk

3/2/2023

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

4/12/2023

Joan B. Lovely

Second Essex

5/23/2023

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

6/8/2023


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 892        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1552

By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1552) of Michael O. Moore, Ruth B. Balser, Jason M. Lewis, Jessica Ann Giannino and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to enhance fire protection in new one- and two-family dwellings.  Public Safety and Homeland Security.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1627 OF 2021-2022.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

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 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after section 26I, the following 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. Nothing in this section shall require any existing building designed or used for residential occupancy, to be required to retrofit said property with an automatic sprinkler system.

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 6.

SECTION 2. Section 27A of chapter 148, as so appearing, is amended by inserting, after the word “service”, in line 19, the following 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.