Kings County Municipal Code Art. I In General

Footnotes:

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Editor's note— Ord. No. 665, §§ 1, 2, adopted July 8, 2014, repealed Art. I in its entirety and enacted a new Art. I to read as set out herein. Former Art. I, §§ 10-1—10-18, 10-23, and 10-24, pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 471, § 2, adopted June 29, 1982.

(a) Purpose of chapter. This chapter is enacted for the public need in the extinguishment of fires, and the preventing, eliminating, or minimizing fire hazard for the safety of life and property in the county.

(b) Cumulative of other law. This chapter shall be in addition to the measures of fire prevention set forth in the laws and regulations of the State of California and the United States.

(c) Adoption of the California Fire Code. In addition to the provisions contained in this chapter, the following is included by reference as if fully set forth and adopted pursuant to Section 13869 of the California Health and Safety Code upon enactment of the ordinance from which this section derived:

(1) 2019 California Fire Code, and all its appendices, and those sections of the 2018 International Fire Code as published in the 2019 California Fire Code but not adopted as part of that code as set forth in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 9, one copy of which is on file in the office of the county fire chief, to regulate and govern the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from the storage, handling, and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises in the county, and to provide for the issuance of permit and collection of fees related thereto.

(2) Amendment and addition to the 2019 California Fire Code:

Section 101.1 is amended to read as follows:

101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the Fire Code of Kings County, hereinafter referred to as "this code."

Section 507.5.1.1 is amended to read as follows:

507.5.1.1 Hydrant for standpipe systems. Buildings equipped with a standpipe system installed in accordance with Section 905 shall have a fire hydrant within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of the fire department connections.

Exception: The distance shall be permitted to exceed 50 feet (15 240 mm) where approved by the fire code official.

Section 901.6.3.2 is added as follows:

901.6.3.2 System records. All contractors who service, test, install and/or maintain fire protection systems within the county are required to enroll and utilize the approved single-point repository service to file records of all system inspections, tests, and maintenance required by the referenced standards. This repository service shall be maintained and provided to the fire code official through a third party inspection reporting system. Fees, as applicable, will be paid directly from the contractor to the approved single-point repository service vendor.

NFPA 13D Section 5.1.1.2 is amended to read as follows:

5.1.1.2 Spare sprinklers of each type of head used shall be provided.

NFPA 13D Section 5.1.3 is added as follows:

Passive purge sprinkler systems are required to be used.

NFPA 13D Section 7.2.1 is amended to read as follows:

7.2.1 Each sprinkler system shall have a minimum ½ inch (15 mm) drain/test valve with a pressure gauge on the system side of the control valve.

NFPA 13D Section 8.3.4 is amended to read as follows:

8.3.4 Sprinklers shall not be required in unattached garages, open attached porches, carports and similar structures.

NFPD 13D Section 8.3.10 is added as follows:

8.3.10 Sprinklers shall be required in attached garages.

NFPD 13D Section 8.3.5.1.1 is amended to read as follows:

8.3.5.1.1 Where the fuel-fired equipment is above all of the occupied areas of the dwelling unit, sprinkler protection shall be required in the concealed space directly above the fuel-fired equipment.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14; Ord. No. 681, § 2, 4-18-17; Ord. No. 694, § 2, 12-17-19)

(a) Designation. There is created the office of county fire chief also referenced within this chapter as the fire code official.

(b) Duties. It shall be the duty of the county fire chief to enforce the various provisions of this chapter and all orders and other ordinances of the board of supervisors of the county and the laws of the state relating to the prevention and suppression of fire; the maintenance of automatic and other fire alarm and extinguishment equipment; the storage and use of flammable material; the maintenance of adequate means of egress in case of fire from factories, stores, hotels, apartment houses, asylums, hospitals, places of public assemblage, and all other places in which a number of persons are housed, live, work, or congregate; and the investigation of the cause, origin, and circumstances of fires.

References in this chapter to the county fire chief shall include his duly authorized employees, agents and representatives.

(c) Powers of peace officers. For the purpose of enforcing this chapter and all orders and other ordinances of the board of supervisors of the county and laws of the state pertaining to the prevention of fires and protection of the unincorporated area of the county from fire, the county fire chief and his duly authorized employees, agents and representatives shall have the powers of peace officers as set forth in Section 830.37 of the California Penal Code.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14)

It shall be unlawful for any person to interfere with, prevent, or attempt to prevent the county fire chief from entering and examining any such land, building, structure, or premises, when reasonable demand is made in advance.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14)

Every person who, at the scene of any fire, disobeys the lawful orders of the county fire chief, offers any resistance to or interference with the lawful efforts of the county fire chief to extinguish any fire, engages in any disorderly conduct calculated to prevent the same from being extinguished, or who forbids, prevents or dissuades others from assisting to extinguish the same, is guilty of a violation of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14)

Regardless of the terms and conditions of any permit issued under the provisions of this chapter, any person burning any material or setting any fire shall observe all reasonable care and precautions in so doing and nothing contained in such permit shall relieve or exonerate any such person from any civil liability for violation of any legal duty imposed upon him by law or for any criminal liability by reason of any violation of law.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14)

It shall be unlawful to leave, or cause or permit to be left, any fire unattended by an adult person, or such persons as may be required in the permit issued for any such fire by the county fire chief. Before leaving any such fire, such persons in charge of such fire shall thoroughly extinguish the same by completely covering it with dirt, saturating it with water, or otherwise treating it in such a manner to prevent rekindling of such fire.

(Ord. No. 665, § 2, 7-8-14)