An Act concerning residential building fire safety and supplementing P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) and P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.).

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The code shall require that any multiple dwelling and any attached housing be constructed in accordance with the following fire safety requirements:

(1) Walls with a fire-resistance rating of not less than three hours shall be installed within any common area lofts, attics, and cocklofts between adjoining dwelling units or building sections.

(2) Structural frames shall be made of concrete or steel in buildings with more than three stories.

(3) Fire stops shall be installed on masonry walls at least every 30 feet.

b. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to its rule-making authority under the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) in order to effectuate the purposes of this section.

c. As used in this section:

"Attached housing" means any residential building or structure that shares a common wall with another building or structure.

"Multiple dwelling" means the same as that term is defined in section 3 of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3).

2. a. The commissioner shall inspect each multiple dwelling subject to the fire safety requirements of section 1 of P.L. , c.

(C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for compliance with such requirements at the time of an inspection conducted pursuant to section 13 of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-13).

b. The commissioner shall inspect each attached housing subject to the fire safety requirements of section 1 of P.L. , c.

(C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for compliance with such requirements at least once every five years and may charge a fee sufficient to cover the cost of such inspection. The commissioner shall have the power to enforce the corrections of any violations found pursuant to an inspection conducted pursuant to this subsection as if the attached housing was a multiple dwelling subject to the requirements of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.).

3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment, except the commissioner may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill would require that certain new residential buildings have cockloft fire barriers, concrete or steel frames, and fire stops. The recent fire that destroyed much of a large apartment building in Edgewater and displaced about 1,000 people showed that the State's construction code needs to be bolstered to improve fire safety. This bill would codify several sensible construction requirements to help limit the spread of fires in residential buildings.

The bill would require that walls with a fire-resistance rating of not less than three hours be installed in any common area lofts, attics, and cocklofts between adjoining dwelling units or building sections in new residential buildings with multiple adjoining units or sections, such as apartment buildings, condominiums, and townhomes. The bill would also require the frames be made of concrete or steel of such residential buildings with more than three stories. The bill would also require fire stops be installed on masonry walls at least every 30 feet of a building.

The residential buildings subject to these fire safety requirements would be inspected for compliance with these requirements at least once every five years.