Start from the process layout that shows where liquids are mixed, filled, and stored, then check that the electrical classification, ventilation, drainage, separation, and fire protection on each discipline’s drawings describe the same areas. AI can flag conflicts; the engineer of record and the authority having jurisdiction decide compliance.
What does NFPA 35 cover?
NFPA 35 is the Standard for the Manufacture of Organic Coatings. NFPA’s page states that it provides requirements to protect lives and property from fire and explosion in facilities that use flammable and combustible liquids to manufacture organic chemical-based coatings such as paints and inks.
NFPA’s official NFPA 35 page identifies the 2026 edition as current when checked on October 10, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
Bulk liquid storage often follows the NFPA 30 guide, and applying coatings, rather than making them, is covered in the NFPA 33 spray application guide. Record which areas the owner treats as manufacturing before comparing.
Gather the process layout and the protection drawings
Collect the process flow diagrams, the equipment layout with mixers, mills, and filling lines, the tank and liquid storage drawings, the hazardous area classification drawings, the electrical plans and schedules, the ventilation and exhaust drawings, the floor drainage and containment drawings, the rated wall plans, the fire protection drawings, and the specifications.
Plants change their product lines often. Upload the current equipment layout with the building set so each area’s protection matches what is actually made there.
Follow the liquids from storage to filling
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Process areas | Process flow diagrams, equipment layout, floor plans | Confirm mixing, milling, and filling areas are drawn in the same rooms on every plan. |
| Liquid storage | Tank drawings, storage room plans, warehouse layout | Check that tanks and storage rooms agree between the process and building drawings. |
| Classification | Classification drawings, electrical plans, equipment schedules | Find electrical equipment in classified areas whose schedule does not reflect it. |
| Ventilation | Mechanical drawings, process documents, specifications | Match the ventilation and local exhaust described for process areas with the mechanical drawings. |
| Drainage and containment | Floor drainage plans, containment details, civil plans | Ask the engineer to confirm how spills are contained in each area and that sources agree. |
| Fire protection | Fire protection drawings, equipment layout, specifications | Identify suppression drawn for an earlier equipment or storage arrangement. |
Classification drawings often follow the NFPA 497 guide, and dust from pigments and powders the NFPA 660 guide. These questions come up in manufacturing projects.
Example: a new solvent tank in a converted room
Hypothetical example. A coatings plant converts a dry raw materials room into a solvent tank room. The process layout and tank drawings show the new tanks, while the classification drawing, the ventilation drawings, and the sprinkler drawings still show the room as dry storage.
The process layout and tank drawings place solvent tanks in the former raw materials room, but the classification, ventilation, and sprinkler drawings still show dry storage. Please confirm the room’s new use and coordinate the electrical, mechanical, and fire protection drawings.
The engineer of record updates the room’s classification and the trades follow. Compliance is decided by the engineers and the authority having jurisdiction.
Review a coatings manufacturing plant with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 35 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 process flow diagrams, equipment layout, tank and storage drawings, classification drawings, electrical plans and schedules, ventilation drawings, drainage and containment drawings, rated wall plans, fire protection drawings, and specifications. Flag process areas, storage, classification, ventilation, containment, and protection that differ between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 35 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 classify areas, size ventilation, or approve the plant. Those decisions remain with the engineers and the authority having jurisdiction.