Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick and easy answer to this question. There are many factors to consider when determining what type of fire alarm system (if any) is required, such as, how large is the building? Is the building sprinkled? How many occupants in the building? What is the jurisdiction of the building? What type of occupancy will the building have? Some of these answers are easy to determine but some will require guidance by the project’s architect. With these and a few more answers, we can determine if a fire alarm system is required.

NFPA 72 is the nationally recognized code book covering the installation, maintenance, and testing of all fire alarm systems for all commercial, industrial, and residential occupancies. This code book has been adopted by way of reference in both Oregon and Washington (and most other states) and all local municipalities. NFPA 72 contains many rules pertaining to the testing of fire alarm systems, one of which states that all fire alarm systems must be tested and inspected at least annually (and sometimes more often than that) by competent personnel experienced in the requirements of testing and inspection of the installed system. Furthermore, the property owner (or their designated representative) is not only responsible to ensure the testing and inspection has been completed, but they are also required to maintain all testing records for 1-5 years for review by the Authority Having Jurisdiction at any time.