Identify each grandstand, seating bank, tent, or membrane structure and its vendor package, then check that seat counts, aisles, guards, exits, and the supporting structure agree between the vendor drawings, the life safety plan, and the building drawings. AI can flag conflicts; the designer and the authority having jurisdiction decide compliance.
What does NFPA 102 cover?
NFPA 102 is the Standard for Grandstands, Folding and Telescopic Seating, Tents, and Membrane Structures. NFPA’s page states that it provides requirements extracted from NFPA 5000 and NFPA 101 for life safety in relation to fire, storm, collapse, and crowd behavior in tents, membrane structures, and assembly seating.
NFPA’s official NFPA 102 page identifies the 2026 edition as current when checked on October 8, 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 its requirements are extracted from the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and the NFPA 5000 building code, check which of those documents, or the IBC, the authority actually enforces for the building around the seating. The IBC Chapter 10 egress guide covers egress where the IBC governs.
Gather the seating or tent package and the life safety plan
Collect the vendor drawings for the grandstand, telescopic seating, tent, or membrane structure, the seating plans with seat counts and aisles, the life safety plan with occupant loads and exits, the architectural plans and sections around the seating, the structural drawings for supports and anchorage, the guard and handrail details, the specifications, and any flame resistance or product certification data the vendor provides.
Retractable seating is shown open on one sheet and stored on another. Upload both so each position can be compared with the exits and aisles around it.
Follow the seating through the life safety plan
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Seat count and occupant load | Vendor seating plans, life safety plan, code analysis | Confirm the seat count and occupant load agree across the vendor package and the code analysis. |
| Aisles and cross aisles | Vendor plans, architectural plans, life safety plan | Check that aisles and cross aisles line up with the exits drawn on the life safety plan. |
| Guards and handrails | Vendor details, architectural details, specifications | Match guard and handrail locations and types between vendor and building drawings. |
| Open and stored positions | Vendor drawings, floor plans, egress plan | Find exits, doors, or paths blocked by the seating in either position. |
| Support and anchorage | Structural drawings, vendor data, floor plans | Ask the engineer to confirm the supports or anchorage the vendor package assumes. |
| Tent and membrane materials | Vendor data, specifications, permit documents | Confirm the fabric and its flame resistance documentation are named the same way in each source. |
Occupant loads can be cross-checked with the occupant load calculator, and the accessibility checklist covers wheelchair spaces and companion seats. These packages are typical of sports and recreation and K-12 school projects.
Example: telescopic seating that grew
Hypothetical example. A gym renovation upgrades its telescopic seating to a larger vendor model. The vendor drawings show more rows and a deeper stored position, while the life safety plan keeps the earlier seat count and shows an exit door inside the new stored footprint.
The vendor seating drawings show more rows and a deeper stored position than the life safety plan, which keeps the earlier seat count and places an exit door within the new stored footprint. Please confirm the seating model and coordinate the occupant load, aisles, and exit access.
The architect and the seating supplier confirm the model and update the life safety plan. The designer and the authority decide whether the arrangement complies.
Review assembly seating with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 102 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 seating, tent, or membrane structure vendor drawings with the life safety plan, code analysis, architectural plans and sections, structural drawings, guard and handrail details, and specifications. Flag seat counts, aisles, exits, guards, supports, and materials that differ between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 102 edition where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved and the reference you uploaded.
Document review does not calculate egress capacity, design supports, or certify tent materials. Those decisions remain with the design team, the supplier, and the authority having jurisdiction.