Contact Fire Inspector Cheryl Walls for assistance or additional information about inspections.
The Fire Marshal's Office conducts inspections on new buildings and renovations to existing buildings. It also inspects existing buildings.
Inspections are conducted in the following areas:
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Fire and life safety
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Property protection
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Fire suppression systems
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Fire alarm systems
Some facilities may require a fire inspection in order to obtain a license, but the request will be made directly by the facility to Fire Marshal's Office. These may include restaurant and night club facilities licensed by the Department of Revenue, as well business licenses. For liquor licenses, see a checklist of fire safety requirements. Anyone wishing to facilitate approval from the licensing department for his/her license should follow these guidelines prior to the fire inspection.
Inspectors do revisit facilities as time permits and upon receipt of written complaints which specify alleged fire safety code violations.
The Process
During the construction or renovation process the fire department requires inspections to ensure conformity to the approved plans and compliance to all applicable codes and ordinances. A fire department inspector conducts an on site inspection at least twice: at the 80 percent stage and then at 100 percent completion of the project. At final inspection, the contractor shall have the listed documents as applicable. Normally, we will perform an inspection the day following the request. If a project fails an inspection, we will schedule another time to re-inspect. Once a project passes the final inspection, a certificate of occupancy is issued from the Community Development office.
Currently the Fire Marshal's Office is enforcing the following codes and standards:
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2000 Life Safety Code with State of Georgia Amendments
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2006 International Fire Code with State of Georgia Amendments
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All applicable National Fire Protection Association Standards and Rules and Regulations of the Safety Fire Commissioner as adopted by the State of Georgia
The types of fire inspections are:
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Site Inspections: Periodically, an inspector will visit the site to inspect for fire department access and fire hydrant access and location.
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New construction: Conducted when any type of construction has taken place in an existing building or a new building. Within this category there may be several types of inspections conducted.
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80 percent: Inspection of fire rated assemblies (where applicable), plenum spaces, firestopping, etc. before the ceiling is installed. A complete set of approved plans (including fire sprinkler and alarm plans) and specifications shall be maintained on the construction site at all times.
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100 percent: When all work is complete. This inspection must be scheduled upon completion of all building inspections conducted by Community Development. All appropriate paperwork must be presented to the inspector.
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Sprinkler system - 80 percent: Inspection of piping, hangers and head spacing and valves before the ceiling is installed.
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Sprinkler system - 100 percent: Installation is complete, all acceptance tests have been conducted by the sprinkler contractor, above ground and underground materials test certificates (where applicable) have been provided to the inspector and the system monitoring is operational and tested.
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Annual: Conducted on existing buildings and individual tenant spaces within the City of Sandy Springs. During this inspection any code violations that are noted will be communicated to a representative of the business. This is accomplished with a written form that is left with the business.
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Special / Courtesy / Complaint: Conducted any time a suspected fire or life safety hazard is reported to our office. These inspections include hazardous condition of an occupancy representing an immediate threat to life safety (i.e. assembly overcrowding, blocked exits, compromised fire protection and detection systems, etc).
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Fixed suppression systems, fire alarms and grease hoods: These components are inspected to ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards. The Fire Marshal’s Office requires certification letters and/test documentation on the following:
- Sprinkler installation or alteration,
- Fire alarms
- Commercial cooking hoods
- Underground and above ground piping
- Fixed fire suppression systems
- To schedule a fire inspection, please call 700 730-5600 at least 24 hours in advance.