Confirm that the authority accepts an NFPA 101A evaluation for the occupancy and which edition, then check that every zone, feature, and condition the evaluation relies on matches the current life safety plans, rated assemblies, sprinkler and alarm drawings, and door schedule. AI can flag conflicts; the evaluator and the authority decide whether the approach is acceptable.
What does NFPA 101A cover?
NFPA 101A is the Guide on Alternative Approaches to Life Safety. NFPA’s page states that it provides alternative approaches to life safety based on NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and that it is to be used in conjunction with NFPA 101, not as a substitute. NFPA’s committee notice refers to the guide’s fire safety evaluation systems (FSES).
NFPA’s official NFPA 101A page identifies the 2025 edition as current when checked on October 6, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
Because the guide works with the Life Safety Code, review it alongside the NFPA 101 guide. Health care projects often meet these evaluations in existing buildings; the NFPA 99 guide covers the health care facilities code. Whether an evaluation is accepted, and for which occupancy, is the authority’s decision.
Gather the evaluation and the drawings it describes
Collect the fire safety evaluation worksheets and narrative, the life safety plans with zones and smoke compartments, the rated wall and opening plans, the sprinkler and fire alarm drawings, the door and hardware schedules, the egress plans, and any correspondence in which the authority accepted the approach.
An evaluation is often prepared from one issue of the plans and kept while the plans change. Record the drawing issue each evaluation used.
Check the evaluation against the current building
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition and acceptance | Evaluation cover, authority correspondence, code analysis | Confirm the edition, the occupancy, and that the authority accepts the approach. |
| Zones and compartments | Evaluation worksheets, life safety plans | Match each zone the evaluation scores to a drawn area with the same boundaries. |
| Construction and separations | Evaluation inputs, rated wall plans, details | Compare the construction and separations the evaluation credits with what the drawings show. |
| Sprinklers and alarm | Evaluation inputs, sprinkler and fire alarm drawings | Check that credited systems cover the areas the evaluation assumes. |
| Doors and egress | Evaluation inputs, door schedule, egress plans | Find doors, corridors, or exits the evaluation credits that differ on the plans. |
| Drawing issue | Evaluation date and references, sheet index, revision clouds | Identify plan changes made after the evaluation was prepared. |
Rated openings follow the NFPA 80 guide, smoke barriers the NFPA 105 guide, and the alarm system the NFPA 72 guide.
Example: the evaluation credits a smoke barrier the plans moved
Hypothetical example. An evaluation for an existing care building scores a zone as bounded by a smoke barrier at a corridor. The current life safety plan moves that barrier to a different corridor during a renovation, and the door at the original location is now scheduled as a non-rated door.
The evaluation credits a smoke barrier at a corridor where the current life safety plan no longer shows one, and the door there is scheduled without a rating. Please confirm whether the evaluation reflects the current plans and update the zone boundaries.
The evaluator revises the worksheets for the current plans, and the authority decides whether the revised evaluation is acceptable.
Review a life safety evaluation with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 101A 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 NFPA 101A evaluation worksheets and narrative with the current life safety plans, rated wall and opening plans, sprinkler and fire alarm drawings, door schedule, and egress plans. Flag zones, separations, systems, and doors the evaluation credits that differ from the drawings, and drawing changes made after the evaluation date. Use the supplied NFPA 101A and NFPA 101 editions and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the evaluation page and the sheets involved. Upload the evaluation as a reference document.
Document review does not score an evaluation, judge equivalency, or replace the evaluator or the authority having jurisdiction.