Confirm that NFPA 1 is the adopted fire code and which edition and amendments apply, then trace fire department access, water supply, fire protection systems, and hazardous uses through the site, architectural, and fire protection drawings. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and fire marshal decide compliance.
What does NFPA 1 cover?
NFPA 1 is the Fire Code. NFPA describes it as an integrated approach to fire code regulation and hazard management that extracts from and references more than 130 other NFPA codes and standards, including NFPA 101, 13, 25, 30, 54, 58, and 72.
NFPA’s official NFPA 1 page identifies the 2027 edition as current when checked on October 2, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
Many jurisdictions adopt the ICC’s International Fire Code instead; read the IFC review guide for that path, and the California Fire Code guide for a state code built on it. Because NFPA 1 points to other standards for system design, follow the referenced standard into its own guide, such as the NFPA 13 sprinkler guide or the NFPA 72 fire alarm guide, rather than reviewing every system on one page.
Collect what the fire marshal will look at
Bring the site plan with fire apparatus access and hydrants, the code summary, life safety plans, fire protection and fire alarm drawings, the fire department connection and riser locations, emergency responder radio and key box information where shown, and the specifications for each fire protection system.
Add the hazardous materials inventory or storage plans when the building stores or uses them, and note the edition and local amendments named on the cover sheet. A fire code review spans the civil, architectural, and fire protection sets, so missing one of them leaves a gap that should be recorded rather than assumed to be checked.
Trace fire department questions through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Adopted code | Cover sheet, code summary, specifications | Resolve whether NFPA 1, the IFC, or a state code governs, and which edition. |
| Apparatus access | Civil site plan, architectural site plan, landscape plan | Reconcile the access route, gates, and obstructions shown on different site sheets. |
| Water supply | Hydrant locations, utility plan, fire service main drawings | Match hydrants and fire service connections across the civil and fire protection sets. |
| Connections and risers | FDC location, riser room plan, elevations | Confirm the fire department connection and riser room appear in the same place everywhere. |
| Protection systems | Code summary, sprinkler and alarm drawings, specifications | Check that every system the code summary lists is drawn and specified. |
| Hazards | Room uses, storage plans, hazardous materials inventory | Identify rooms whose use or contents now differ from the fire code analysis. |
Follow fire service mains into the NFPA 24 guide, hazardous materials into the NFPA 400 guide, and site access into the civil and site drawing checklist.
Example: the fire department connection moves on one sheet
Hypothetical example. The fire protection riser diagram places the fire department connection on the north elevation, while the current civil site plan and architectural elevation show it beside the main entrance on the east. The hydrant serving it is drawn only on the civil plan.
The fire protection drawings show the fire department connection on the north elevation, while the civil site plan and architectural elevation show it on the east. Please confirm its location and the hydrant and access route that serve it.
The fire protection engineer and civil engineer agree a single location and revise every sheet. Whether the location is acceptable is the fire marshal’s decision under the adopted code.
Review fire code coordination with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 1 reference from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it. State the edition, amendments, review area, and known exclusions in your instructions.
Compare the site, architectural, fire protection, and fire alarm drawings with the code summary. Flag conflicting fire department access, hydrant, fire department connection, riser room, and protection system information. Use the supplied NFPA 1 edition and local amendments where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets behind it. Confirm the adopted fire code and edition before quoting a requirement, and keep missing site information separate from drawings that disagree.
Document review does not issue a fire code approval, calculate fire flow, or confirm access with the fire department. Those decisions remain with the design professionals and the fire marshal.