Louisiana’s Senate Bill 489, now Act 534, signed into law in 2024, introduces significant changes to life safety protections within the state. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Stewart Cathey, aims to modify the code enforced by the State Fire Marshal, with the new rules set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Joe Delaune, Chief Architect, CBO for the Louisiana Office of the State Fire Marshal put together this list of final provisions of Act 534
- Effective date is July 1, 2026:
- The SFMO will review all structures (architectural scope) for compliance with ALL fire protection, egress, and accessibility provisions of the LSUCC as adopted by the Code Council (IBC, IEBC, IMC, IFGC, etc.). The Life Safety Code (LSC) will continue to be applied only to licensed Institutional occupancies, detention occupancies, state owned or leased buildings, and educational occupancies. (The SFMO is currently applying the LSC & the fire protection provisions of the IBC to all structures).
- No changes to the Fire Alarm, Sprinkler, Locking, Suppression system review process or requirements are expected (same standards, applicable laws & rules remain intact).
- Clarifications were made to apply the LSC to existing buildings, and the IBC to buildings moving forward.
- Fire Prevention Bureaus have the choice to adopt either NFPA 1 or the IFC as their fire code.
- The fire marshal or his designee was added as a member to the Code Council.
- Clarifications were made to the LSUCC law to codify that the SFMO is, and will remain, the AHJ for fire protection, egress, and accessibility statewide. (Some third parties were duplicating SFMO reviews prior to this).
- The current provision for the SFMO to “contract” with local jurisdictions for full enforcement of the LSUCC (structural, mechanical, plumbing, energy, etc.) was changed to a “letter of intent” to simplify the process. This is an existing option, but the SFMO is not able to accept any more jurisdictions unless we’re better funded for it.
- The ADA-ABA was changed to IBC Chapter 11, which references the ICC A117.1 Accessibility Code. It can’t conflict with the federal law and the Code Council will amend it where needed.
These changes have prompted calls for careful review and action from industry professionals and stakeholders to address potential challenges and ensure that safety and regulatory standards are maintained effectively. House Resolution 291 by Representative Bryan Fontenot creates a task force to study these changes and as an association the LLSSA has asked that our members be allowed to participate in this study so that all concerns are addressed.