Plan Review, Construction, Sytems Testing & Occupancy

A property owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to conduct an operation or business, or install or modify systems and equipment regulated by the Denver Fire Code, or to cause any such work to be performed, shall first make application to the FIRE CODE OFFICIAL and obtain the required permit. A Construction Permit allows the applicant to install or modify systems and equipment for which a permit is required.

For OPERATIONAL Permits please see Fire Safety Operational Permits.

Notice to building owners and contractors: IFC 912.4.1

*Notice to building owners and contractors:

Per IFC 912.4.1 Locking fire department connection caps. To prevent vandalism & theft, locking connection caps protecting the inlet and swivel shall be provided and compatible with DFD key box keys or as approved by the fire code official.

This will take effect for all new buildings effective January 1, 2019

This will take effect for all existing buildings January 1, 2020 (with the COVID situation….this date has been extended to June 1, 2021 unless vandalism or tampering situations at specific sites create an immediate need)

When enforcement is required where the fire official determines either the need for maintenance or flushing of a fire protections system due to vandalism, theft or other reasonable cause a locking cap will be required immediately.

Where Building Owners wish to protect wet standpipe outlets, Denver knox caps may be installed in accordance with NFPA 14. Manual dry standpipe systems are already required to afford locking knox caps at oultets per IFC 905.11 (2019 Amendments).

RECALL NOTICE - FIRE HAZARD

Please see the following Consumer Product Safety Commission information related to Edwards Mechanical Heat Detector recall:

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/Edwards-Recalls-Mechanical-Heat-Detectors-Due-to-Failure-to-Alert-to-Fire

Plan Review & Testing Services

Plan Review

The City and County of Denver requires that plans and specifications be reviewed by plan review experts prior to approval of building or installation permits. The purpose is to provide safety through ensuring compliance with local ordinances, including the fire code.

The plan review process involves personnel from a number of different agencies, so in most cases you will need to start elsewhere--not directly with the Fire Department--and the appropriate portions of the review will be directed to us.

Here are some general guidelines:

If you are planning . . .	Please see:
a multi-family or commercial construction project	Denver Development Services website
a single-family residence or small project	Community Planning and Development website
to install life-safety systems (fire alarm, fire sprinklers, smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection, smoke control, emergency communications systems, etc.) that are not part of a larger, overall construction project
If you would like to discuss specific issues or design questions about your project with our Plan Review personnel before submitting formal plans	Pre-Application Plan Review Service

Denver Fire Department Fire Protection Engineers and uniformed firefighters in the plan review unit review:

Site plans
Water plans
Building and life safety system plans and specifications

They are also equipped to prepare recommendations or consult with individuals involved in building construction, remodeling or renovations. They contribute a high level of technical ability to the plan review process, interpretations, consultations, and the preparation of recommendations for a broad range of complex fire protection problems, and their expertise is recognized by architects, engineers, builders, and other professionals involved in the building process.

Electronic Permit Submittal Guidelines (PDF)

Life-Safety Systems Acceptance Testing

After a life-safety system has been installed, inspection personnel from the Fire Prevention unit must conduct an inspection to determine that is has been installed properly and is functional.

Life-safety systems that require testing include:

fire alarms
fire sprinklers
smoke detection and alarms
carbon monoxide detection and alarms
smoke control
public-address systems
firefighters emergency communications systems
emergency generators
fire pumps
radio enhancement systems
kitchen hood extinguishing systems
special extinguishing systems
emergency elevator recall

A successful life-safety systems acceptance test usually results in a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy.

There is no charge for initial acceptance testing unless you need to schedule the testing for a time outside normal business hours. If initial acceptance testing occurs outside normal business hours, a fee is charged. A fee is also charged for any re-tests (i.e., in cases when the initial test or subsequent tests determined that the system did not function in accordance with applicable standards).

PLEASE NOTE: Inspections and fire systems tests that occur outside of normal business hours must be cancelled within one business day (24 hours) from the start time of the inspection or test.

Any cancellations outside of this timeframe will be assessed the applicable fees. If the inspection or test occurs, and fails, the normal re-inspection fee schedule ($300 first re-inspect, $500 all subsequent re-inspections) will be assessed in addition to the applicable fees for outside of normal hour testing. All cancelled tests will be rescheduled by calling the testing line.

Fees for construction-related Services
Fire Prevention has fees in place for two construction-related services:

Fire Safety Systems Retest - for systems (smoke alarms, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, etc.) that have failed a previous functionality/compliance test. In many cases, we find that, due to pressures to move the project forward, the contractor has not pre-tested the system; in other words, contractors are using the first City test as their pre-test. We encourage contractors to perform their own pre-test to avoid having to pay a retest fee. The fee is $300 for the first retest and $500 for each subsequent retest. (There is no change for initial acceptance testing unless you need to schedule the testing for a time outside normal business hours.)
Contractor-paid Overtime / Standby Personnel - for fire safety system inspections or fire safety systems acceptance testing that the contractor has requested be conducted outside normal business hours. The hourly fee is $80. In accordance with Denver Fire Code Section 106.2.9, this fee also applies to standby personnel.

Both fees can be avoided by a contractor’s diligent preparation (i.e., pre-testing systems) and scheduling of all inspections and testing during normal business hours.

PRV Standpipe Testing Template

Refer to the installation permit for details about timing of and arranging for a post-installation inspection, or contact the Life-Safety Systems Acceptance Testing Group at 720-913-3480 or derrick.johnson@denvergov.org.

Construction Permits and Water Plans

FOR CONSTRUCTION PERMITS AND WATER PLANS REQUIRED PER SECTION 105.7 OF THE FIRE CODE, PLEASE SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY.

DFD Water Plan eReview Guide (PDF)

Fire Permits Online Information Flyer (PDF)

For more information and for permit submittals please visit DEVELOPMENT SERVICES E-PERMITS.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Systems Used in Beverage Dispensing Applications

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) SYSTEMS USED IN BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPLICATIONS POLICY

Please see the CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) Beverage Dispensing Applications Policy here:

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPLICATIONS POLICY

INFORMATION BULLETIN - NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) SYSTEMS USED IN BEVERAGE DISPENSING

For permitting questions regarding Inert Gas Systems including Carbon Dioxide (CO2) beverage, CO2 industrial and Nitrogen (N2) systems please contact:

Fire Code Questions: FireCodeQuestions@denvergov.org or

Flammables Group: flammables@denvergov.org