The Stafford City Council on Oct. 1 directed staff and the city attorney to prepare changes to the citys inspection and certificate-of-occupancy (CO) procedures after business owners complained that the current rules and permitting process were delaying reopenings and renovations.

The issue was driven by presentations from the fire chief and council members who described frequent inspection failures tied to fire-alarm and sprinkler-system requirements and a city amendment to the 2015 International Fire Code that requires sprinklers for nonresidential buildings of 7,500 square feet or more. Council members said that the existing language can force landlords or small tenants into installing full-building sprinkler systems after minor interior remodels and that the application of the provision has created significant delays for businesses seeking occupancy.

Chiefs assessment and operational metrics

The fire chief said the department implemented a performance plan Aug. 29 and that inspections increased: September this year recorded 95 inspections compared with 55 for the same month last year. The chief said common failures involve alarm and sprinkler systems, and that some inspections reflect workmanship or deferred maintenance that accumulated over time.

Ordinance language and proposed change

Staff identified Stafford ordinance Article 42, Section 42.111 (amending IFC 2015s 903.2) as a primary pain point; the amendment currently requires automatic sprinklers in new nonresidential buildings of 7,500 square feet or more and, as written, has been interpreted to apply to remodels and partial-occupancy changes. The chief and several council members recommended removing the clause that causes small tenant remodels to trigger whole-building sprinkler retrofits and returning the sprinkler requirement to a more limited application tied to truly new or expanded building uses.

Council direction and next steps

Council did not take an immediate vote to change the code but directed legal and staff to draft targeted ordinance amendments and to present those proposals at a future council meeting. Council members also asked staff to:

- Hold a workshop with stakeholders (business owners, contractors, inspectors) to discuss reasonable compliance steps.
- Provide monthly reports to council summarizing plan-review and permitting backlogs (e.g., permits submitted, permits rejected, primary reason for rejection).
- Reexamine the CO process to allow expedited issuance for tenants accepting space "as-is" while ensuring safety for substantial renovations.

Councilman Emmanuel Guerra (identified in the discussion) and others emphasized balancing life-safety requirements with being business-friendly and reducing needless delays that affect payroll and tax revenue.

Third-party reviews and process improvements

Council and staff discussed the role of a contracted third-party plan reviewer. Staff said the reviewer is thorough and often returns comments within the required review window; council members asked staff to tighten the internal comment-collection process so applicants receive consolidated feedback rather than staggered rounds of corrections that extend total time to approval.

Provenance: the chiefs presentation, the code citations and the workshop request are recorded in the transcript and packet materials for this meeting.