Confirm whether the project or the adopted building code references NFPA 88A, then check that the open or enclosed classification, the wall openings, ventilation, fire protection, and any vehicle charging areas are drawn consistently. AI can flag conflicts; the design team and the authority decide compliance.
What does NFPA 88A cover?
NFPA 88A is the Standard for Parking Structures. NFPA describes it as covering the construction and protection of, and the control of hazards in, open and enclosed parking structures, including automated-type parking structures, other than those within one- and two-family dwellings.
NFPA’s official NFPA 88A page identifies the 2027 edition as current when checked on October 3, 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 regulate parking garages through the International Building Code and International Fire Code, and the project may cite NFPA 88A for specific provisions. Record which documents the authority enforces. The parking structure project page covers the wider document review for these buildings.
Collect the documents that decide open or enclosed
Bring the code summary, the floor plans and elevations showing wall openings, the building sections, the mechanical ventilation drawings and sequences, the sprinkler or standpipe drawings, the electrical plans for vehicle charging, and the specifications for any automated parking equipment.
Note which levels are below grade and which façade panels or screens are added late. A screen that closes openings on one elevation can change the classification the code summary assumed.
Check classification, ventilation, and protection
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Code summary, elevations, sections | Confirm the open or enclosed classification matches the openings drawn on each level. |
| Façade screens | Elevations, façade details, landscape plans | Identify screens or planters that reduce openings shown in the classification basis. |
| Ventilation | Mechanical plans, sequences, detection drawings | Check that enclosed levels have the ventilation and detection the narrative describes. |
| Fire protection | Sprinkler and standpipe drawings, code summary | Reconcile the protection systems listed with those drawn on each level. |
| Vehicle charging | Electrical plans, parking layout, specifications | Confirm charging spaces appear on both the electrical and architectural plans. |
| Automated parking | Equipment drawings, specifications, life safety plans | Identify automated areas whose access and protection are not shown. |
Follow standpipes into the NFPA 14 guide, sprinklers into the NFPA 13 guide, and ventilation into the mechanical drawing checklist.
Example: a new screen on an open level
Hypothetical example. The code summary treats the upper levels as open. A later façade revision adds perforated metal screens on two elevations, and the mechanical drawings still show no ventilation for those levels.
The façade revision adds screens on the north and west elevations of the upper levels, which the code summary treats as open. Please confirm whether the classification still holds and coordinate the mechanical drawings if it does not.
The architect confirms the open area with the code consultant, and the mechanical engineer revises the drawings if needed. The classification is the design team’s and authority’s decision.
Review a parking structure with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 88A 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 code summary with the elevations, sections, façade details, mechanical ventilation, fire protection, and electrical drawings. Flag classification, wall opening, ventilation, protection, and charging information that differs between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 88A edition where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets behind it. Ask for the open-area basis as a question rather than calculating it from the drawings.
Document review does not calculate open area, design ventilation, or classify the structure. Those decisions remain with the design professionals and the authority having jurisdiction.