The Gaithersburg City Council on Dec. 1 introduced an ordinance to repeal and replace Chapter 11 of the city fire code to align local rules with the 2024 editions of NFPA standards.

Fire Marshal Michael Semelsberger said the updates are mostly renumbering and minor wording changes to reflect the state-adopted 2024 NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 codes, but he identified several substantive updates: (1) inspection and testing reports for fire-life-safety systems will be submitted to a city-identified third-party data-management company (the city’s “compliance engine”); (2) the fire marshal will have authority to withhold final permit approval for construction or fire-protection permits until overdue inspection/testing records are current; and (3) updates adopt newer NFPA standards (including provisions on fireworks displays and emergency communications) and clarify life-safety definitions such as “work area.”

Councilmembers questioned the third-party submission requirement and asked about fallback procedures if a vendor relationship ended. Semelsberger said the city has an existing contract with the compliance engine (a third-party provider) and plans to renew it and that the proposed ordinance language can be revised to describe a “city-identified third-party management company” or allow direction by the city manager.

Staff noted the introduction does not finalize the ordinance; the council agreed to introduce the ordinance with the suggested clarifying language and hold a public hearing in January. The measure passed its introduction vote for a hearing; the council did not adopt the ordinance at this meeting.

Next steps: Staff will refine the ordinance language (per discussion about reserving city authority to change the designated data manager), publish notice and schedule a public hearing in January for formal consideration.