Fire Inspections

Fire Inspections
July 1, 1996 - the Town of Wake Forest Planning and Inspections Department implemented provisions (Town of Wake Forest ordinance Sec. 16-31) to adopt the North Carolina State Fire Code to support the enforcement practices of plans review, permit issuance, acceptance testing for approval of materials and systems, new construction and periodic fire code inspections.

New Construction & Plan Review
The Code Officials evaluate applications for commercial construction, tents and temporary uses. They confirm the code compliance of site plans, building plans, exit door hardware, all life safety equipment, fire protection systems, hood system installations, building expansions, renovations, all exit requirements, and any plans correlated with North Carolina State Fire Code permits. After the plans have been approved and permitted and work has been completed an inspector will inspect systems to verify that they comply with the approved plans and applicable codes.

Knox Box Requirements
A key box (Knox Box) is required for all new construction and major up-fits that have a Monitored Fire Alarm, Sprinkler System or an Elevator.

Knox Box authorization order forms must be obtained online from the Wake Forest Fire Department's website. Website address is www.wakeforestfire.com.

Periodic Fire Code Inspections
Periodic fire code inspections apply primarily to existing occupancies, their owners or occupants in the Town of Wake Forest extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

"In order to preserve and protect public health and safety, and to satisfy the requirements of General Statute 160A-424, political subdivisions assuming inspection duties, as set out in General Statute 160-411, shall have a periodic inspection schedule for the purpose of identifying activities and conditions in buildings, structures, and premises that pose dangers of fire, explosion or related hazards."

These fire inspections are required for all premises, except one and two family dwellings, and are scheduled based on the type of occupancy as defined by the North Carolina State Fire Code. The examples listed below (adopted by Town of Wake Forest ordinance 16-33) illustrate the minimum frequency rate of inspections; however, it is not an all inclusive list.

Additional Fees & Fines
In accordance with Town of Wake Forest ordinance section 16-35, any person who shall violate or fail to comply with any of the provisions of this article, including the fire prevention code, or who shall violate or fail to comply with any corrective order of the fire inspector issued under this article, or who shall be found in violation of any specifications or plans submitted and approved under this article shall be deemed to have committed a violation under this article and shall be held responsible and subject to the penalties and remedies provided in this article. These penalties are represented in the listed fines.