NFPA 5000
As an NFPA staff liaison, I help NFPA members with their code questions. I often get questions about NFPA construction types found in NFPA 5000, NFPA 101, and NFPA 220 - What do they mean? What do the numbers in parenthesis represent? What does a Type II building look like?
NFPA 5000
NFPA codes and standards base many requirements on building construction type - number of stories, building square footage, etc. There are 10 construction types that NFPA defines. Use this quick visual guide to help you decipher the NFPA 5000 construction types. In this visual, I provide a simple explanation using construction Type III (211) as an example.
The National Fire Protection Association, NFPA, NFPA 5000 is the Building Construction and Safety Code that applies to new construction or buildings that undergo some form of rehabilitation such as if the building is damaged, relocated, rehabilitated or experience is a change in usage. NFPA 5000 does not apply to existing buildings unless a form of rehabilitation applies. Learn more about Code Compliance For New & Existing Buildings and contact us with any questions to ensure your property is and remains code compliant.
In the ever-evolving building and construction industry, it's critical to keep pace with the latest requirements for minimizing injuries and safeguarding life, health, property, and public welfare. NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, offers provisions for regulating and controlling the permitting, design, construction, quality of materials, and use, occupancy, and location of buildings, structures, and specific equipment.
Created to fill the gap in the code regime for a building code developed using American National Standards Institute procedures, NFPA 5000 is a vital resource for architects, engineers, authorities having jurisdiction, contractors, building owners and developers, multinational companies, and anyone with responsibilities for safety in the built environment. The code addresses natural and human-made dangers such as fire, flood, earthquake, wind, and related natural hazards and environmental concerns.
NFPA 5000 is updated in response to, and, in some cases, in anticipation of, emerging technologies or as society looks to code developers to address new hazards. The 2021 edition features updates based on emerging trends and safety concerns, such as security, new building materials, and exterior wall testing.
Electrically powered fire pumps are subject to many national and international codes such as the International Building Code (IBC), NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety Code, NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, NFPA 110: Standard for Emergency and Standby Systems, NFPA 20: Standard for Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection, and NFPA 70: National Electric Code (NEC). Because so many codes are involved, it is important to understand the scope of each code to ensure the correct code is used during the design process.
NFPA 5000 classifies fire pumps as part of the standby system (33.3.4.2.4, High-rise buildings). Since no definition is provided for the standby system, this classification can be misconstrued. But 33.3.4.2.1 requires compliance with NEC 701, which concerns the legally required standby system.
Just like NFPA 5000, NFPA 101 Chapter 11 (special structures and high-rise buildings) requires that fire pumps be part of the standby system and comply with NEC 701. Also, 11.8.6 requires that the emergency command center monitor the fire pump status.
Allowances for larger and taller mass timber buildings have been approved as part of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, and, where applicable, NFPA 101, Life Safety Code.
Unlike the requirements in IBC, NFPA 5000 provisions for tall mass timber apply a factor to increase the number of stories and area above existing heavy timber limits. Additionally, levels of fire resistance and noncombustible protection are prescribed with increasing building height. Similar to the IBC approach, there are provisions for the protection of shafts, exterior walls, concealed spaces, and connections with noncombustible materials.
The publications listed in this section are incorporated by reference. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 522(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of these publications may be inspected at the office of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Service, National Cemetery Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420 or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call (202) 741-6030 or go to _register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html. Copies of the 2003 edition of the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code and Errata (NFPA 101), the 2003 edition of the NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, and the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, may be obtained from the National Fire Protection Association, Inc. (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269-9101, (800) 844-6058 (toll free). Copies of the 2003 edition of the Uniform Mechanical Code and the 2003 edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code may be obtained from the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, 5001 E. Philadelphia Street, Ontario, CA 91761-2816. (909) 472-4100 (this is not a toll-free number). The 2002 and 2003 NFPA and IAPMO code publications can be inspected at VA by calling (202) 461-4902 for an appointment.
A material, product, or assembly that prevents or delays ignition of an unexposed surface by limiting the temperature rise and by acting as a flame exposure barrier. NFPA 5000 and the International Building Code (IBC) would require this between a combustible façade system that achieves compliance with NFPA 285 and the interior of the building.
According to Annex A, applicable codes and standards can include, but are not limited to, NFPA 101, NFPA 5000, NFPA 72, and amendments adopted by the AHJ. Based on the security vulnerability assessment (SVA) of the protected premises, the designer can also consider ANSI/UL 1034, Standard for Burglary-Resistant Electric Locking Mechanisms.
NFPA 5000 presents the latest requirements for construction, protection, and occupancy features needed to safeguard life, health, property, and public welfare and to minimize injuries. The 2018 Edition provides minimum design provisions used to regulate and control the permitting, design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, and location of all buildings and structures and certain equipment.
The 2018 Edition of NFPA 5000 benefits everyone responsible for safety in the built environment, including AHJs, architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and developers, and multi-national corporations.
The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has also developed a set of building codes, NFPA 5000 Building Code, which were accepted by the NFPA membership at the World Safety Conference and Exposition in May 2002. At its July 2002 meeting. the NFPA Standards Council approved the NFPA Building Code for release. The NFPA has been involved in the development of codes and standards for fire protection and safety for over 100 years, but the new NFPA 5000 is the first comprehensive building code document that the organization has developed. The new NFPA Building Code will have a similar format to many of the current model building codes that deal with safety from fire, structural failure, safety during building use, and safety from unwanted entry and exposure to hazardous materials. NFPA 5000 also has many new provisions involving performance-based design and new concepts regarding construction type and height per area requirements. Since August 2002, the NFPA has been offering both the NFPA 5000 and NFPA 1 (Fire Prevention Code) for review and purchase on their website (www.nfpa.org). NFPA also offers training, free of charge, for code enforcement personnel in jurisdictions that adopt the NFPA Building Code.
The primary difference between the NFPA Building Code and the ICC Building Code is their approach to organization. The IBC is a "systems oriented" publication with chapters structured around specific systems such as fire resistant construction, means of egress, fire protection systems, interior environment systems, structural design concerns, etc. The NFPA 5000 Building Code is an "occupancy oriented" publication based on occupancy types (i.e., assembly, healthcare, and residential occupancies). The NFPA document, like the NFPA Life Safety Code, includes a chapter that addresses these specific occupancy requirements.
For over 40 years, the design community has been pushing for a single set of model construction codes for use throughout the country. With the development of the IBC and NFPA 5000, the reality of two new and separate sets of codes is upon us. Although not completely successful in reaching one set of codes, the development of two codes does result in the likelihood that the various jurisdictions will adopt one set or the other. The hope is that the adoption of one set of codes will bring about efficiencies in research and development within the manufacturing sector; result in uniform education and certification programs on an international basis; and reduce the number of states and localities that currently write their own codes or amend the model codes. More uniform adoption will lead to more consistent code enforcement, higher quality construction, and the ability of code organizations to better focus their energies in the areas of code adoption, code enforcement, and enhanced membership services.
Performance Based Design (PBD) OptionWithin the IBC 2003 edition, the NFPA 5000 set of codes, and the 2000 edition of the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, there is a new approach to the design of buildings called the performance-based design (PBD) option. The PBD option is an alternative design method to the traditional application of prescriptive code requirements found in these codes. Performance-based design represents a choice between adhering to the prescriptive requirements of the traditional building code, or developing performance-based engineering solutions that comply with the intent of the building code and meet the goals and objectives of the building users, owners, and other stakeholders. 041b061a72