The required rating
Why each assembly is rated: construction type from IBC Table 601, occupancy separation, corridor, shaft, or exterior wall based on fire separation distance.
Plan check correction · Fire and life safety
Plan check correction: fire-rated assembly details
A rated wall drawn on the plan is only a claim until the set shows how it achieves its rating. Reviewers ask for the listed design, and for plans that show where each rating starts and stops.
The comment asks you to identify the fire-resistance rating each assembly needs and show how it is achieved, usually by a tested or listed design number, plus plans that show the extent of each rated wall and floor. Clear it with a wall and floor type legend that cites the design for each rating and life-safety plans that show the rated walls continuously.
Read the comment
What the plans examiner is asking for
How the rating is achieved
A tested or listed design, or another method permitted by IBC Section 703, identified for each rated type.
Continuity
Where the rated wall runs, and how it continues to the deck or rated ceiling above as IBC Sections 707 and 708 require for fire barriers and fire partitions.
Consistent tagging
The same wall types and ratings on floor plans, life-safety plans, sections, and details.
Published correction lists
How city lists word this correction
Published lists ask for listed assembly numbers, rated wall details, or a life-safety plan showing rated construction. Paraphrased from each department’s own published list; the lists do not rank items by how often they are issued.
| City | What the published list asks for | Code cited | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Identify fire areas, fire walls, fire barriers and fire partitions on the plans, with a complete legend and construction details for each. | CBC 702, 706, 707, 708 | Commercial Plan Check Correction Sheets (2026 LABC), Part II, E. Fire-Resistance Rated Construction, item 8 |
| San Francisco | Provide details for all fire-resistive assemblies and elements, and show how their integrity is maintained where they are penetrated. | SFBC 106A.3.3, item 10 | SFBC Section 106A.3.3 Information on plans and specifications, item 10 |
| San Diego | Where fire-resistive construction is proposed, show rated shafts, fire walls, fire barriers, fire partitions, rated corridors and horizontal exits on the floor plans. | — | Project Submittal Manual Section 2, checklist item 5.1.10 (Fire Resistive Construction) |
| San Jose | Identify every fire-rated element (corridors, enclosures, shafts, passageways) with its rating or through a legend, and give complete construction details for each rated assembly. | — | BDN 01 Information Required on the Drawings, Required Information list |
| Seattle | Floor plans need a wall-type legend with fire ratings. Sections show fire walls and horizontal fire barriers, and wall, floor and roof details identify the fire-resistive assemblies. | — | Screening Standards - NEW Commercial Projects, Floor Plans, Building Sections, Typical Wall Section |
| New York City | Floor plans show fire-resistance ratings of walls, roofs, floors and doors, and building sections show fire ratings of floors, walls and roof. | — | Plan Examination Guidelines – Sections 2.4.1 (Fire safety / Code Analysis) and 2.4.3 |
| Denver | Fire-rated walls and projections must be labeled with their rating and backed by a UL listing number, an ICC-ES report, or a prescriptive assembly identified from the local fire-resistance section; drawings must also label the fire separation between garage and dwelling unit and between dwelling units, gypsum protection at under-stair spaces, and floor-assembly fire protection. | DRC R302; DCBC Section 721 | Permitting Checklist for New Homes and Additions, Floor Plans/Reflected Ceiling Plans table, Fire Rated Walls and Separations row |
| Denver | Denver added local exceptions removing the fire-resistive construction requirement for corridor walls and ceilings inside single-tenant office spaces, and for corridors serving a conference or assembly room with an occupant load under 100 within a single-tenant office space. | DBC 1020.2, Exceptions 6-7 | 2025 Denver Building Code, Chapter 10: Means of Egress, Section 1020 Corridors |
| Portland | When converting non-habitable space to habitable space, provide fire-rated construction details for exterior walls or eaves that sit less than 3 feet from a property line. | ORSC 302.3 | Life Safety and Structural Review Completeness Checklist for Residential Additions and Alterations, Habitable Conversion section |
| Phoenix | Fire-rated assemblies identified on the plans must include architectural details and the referenced UL or Gypsum Association assembly number along with a standard construction detail. | — | Commercial Building Permit Submittal Checklist, Architectural Plan section |
| Phoenix | Garages must be separated from the residence with a minimum 1/2-inch gypsum board on the garage side (5/8-inch Type X where habitable rooms sit above), and any opening between the garage/carport and the house needs a solid-wood or 20-minute fire-rated, self-closing door. | IRC R302.6, R302.5.1 | Residential Plan Submittal Checklist, Floor Plans item 9 |
| Austin | Label fire-resistive corridors, shaft enclosures, fire barriers and fire partitions with their hourly ratings, link each label to a partition schedule, and include the full tested-assembly listing data from the testing agency in the drawing set. | IBC 702; 704.2-704.3; 707; 708 | Architectural Plan Review Commercial Checklist, Section C items 27-30 |
| Chicago | Fire wall, occupancy separation, fire area separation, control area, incidental use, dwelling unit separation and corridor/smoke barrier ratings must each be identified, along with the rating and continuity of vertical shaft enclosures. | 14B-7-706 through 14B-7-713 (various subsections) | Sample Code Compliance Matrix, items B.07.05-B.07.16 |
Sources reviewed September 12, 2026. Code sections are as cited on each list and follow that city’s adopted code. Confirm the current list and edition with the department.
Revise the set
What changes on the drawings, and what else to re-check
Rating changes reach openings, penetrations, and structure. Check all three.
| Change | Sheets to revise | Also re-check |
|---|---|---|
| Listed design added to a wall type | Wall type legend; partition details | Stud gauge and spacing on structural notes, specification section for gypsum board |
| Wall rating increased | Floor plans; life-safety plan; wall types | Door and window ratings in the schedules, penetration firestop details, duct dampers on mechanical sheets |
| Rated wall extended to the deck | Wall sections; partition details | Head-of-wall joint details, ceiling plans, sprinkler and duct routing above the ceiling |
| Shaft enclosure rating changed | Floor plans on every level; shaft details | Openings into the shaft, elevator door ratings, mechanical dampers |
Close the comment
A response the reviewer can verify
An illustrative example written for this guide, not a real project or a city’s wording. Name the sheet, the detail, and the change, so the recheck does not start with a search.
Comment
Provide listed assembly numbers and details for all fire-rated walls and floor-ceiling assemblies. Show rated wall locations on the life-safety plan.
Response
Revised as requested. Wall type legend on A0.20 now cites a listed design for each rated wall type (W1, one-hour; W3, two-hour). Floor-ceiling assembly F1 cites its listed design on A0.21. Life-safety plans LS1.01 to LS1.03 show rated walls continuously, and head-of-wall detail 7/A5.10 is referenced at each rated wall.
Before you submit
Catch it before the plans examiner does
Start from the reason
List why each assembly is rated before choosing designs, so no rated wall is missed.
Cite one design per type
Put the design number in the wall type legend and make every rated type point to one design.
Trace the ratings
Compare the life-safety plan, floor plans, door schedule, and mechanical dampers for the same walls.
Groundbook compares the drawings, schedules, and specifications with the adopted code and local amendments, and links each potential issue to the sheets and sections behind it. We read the amendments governments publish online and use licensed model codes only where a license allows it. Your team verifies each finding; the jurisdiction makes every approval decision. See the pre-permit review and drawing-to-code review.
Questions, answered
Fire-rated assemblies: questions
What is a listed fire-rated assembly?
It is a wall, floor, or roof design tested to a fire-resistance standard and published by a testing and listing agency with a design number. The number tells the reviewer and the builder exactly how to build it.
Can I use a prescriptive rating instead of a listed design?
The IBC permits several methods in Section 703, including prescriptive assemblies in Section 721 and calculated fire resistance in Section 722. State the method used for each type.
Does a rated wall have to go to the deck?
Fire barriers generally extend to the floor or roof deck above. Fire partitions can sometimes stop at a rated ceiling. The plans should show which applies to each wall.
Keep going
Related corrections and city guides
Rated openings and penetrations
Doors, glazing, dampers, and penetrations in rated assemblies shown with the protection each needs.
Read this correctionFire separation distance
Distances from exterior walls to the lot line, with the wall ratings and opening areas those distances allow.
Read this correctionCode analysis
Occupancy, construction type, allowable area, occupant load, and sprinkler basis stated on the cover sheet and consistent with the plans.
Read this correctionLos Angeles plan check
How LADBS reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Francisco plan check
How DBI reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideSan Diego plan check
How DSD reviews a permit set and what its published lists ask for.
Open the city guideRespond to plan check comments
Response letter format, six response types, and a free response log.
Read the guideFind the corrections before the plans examiner does
Upload the drawing set. We read the local amendments that governments publish online, and link each potential issue to its sources for your team to verify.