March 14, 2024

Hearing on New Rules and Regulations Scheduled for Monday, April 15, 2024

Notice is hereby given pursuant to the Georgia Administrative Procedure Act, O.C.G.A. Sections 50-13-3, 50-13-4, 50-13-6, 50-13-21, and, 33-2-9 of the following proposals by the Safety Fire Commissioner to amend the Rules and Regulations of the Office of the Safety Fire Commissioner.       

The Rules and Regulations of the Office of the Safety Fire Commissioner are proposed to be amended by the following actions:

  • Amending Regulation Chapter 120-3-3 entitled “State Minimum Fire Safety Standards”
  • Amending Regulation Chapter 120-3-11 entitled “Flammable and Combustible Liquids”
  • Amending Regulation Chapter 120-3-16 entitled “Liquefied Petroleum Gases”

SYNOPSIS AND EXPLANATION OF PROPOSED RULE CHANGES

These rules and regulations of the Safety Fire Commissioner are promulgated to establish the State’s minimum fire safety standards as specified in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, (O.C.G.A.) Section 25-2-4.

A primary purpose of the amendments to 120-3-3 rules and regulations is to establish the state minimum fire safety standards and requirements for the prevention of loss of life and property from fire, panic from fear of fire, explosions, or related hazards in all buildings, and structures. These proposed amendments are primarily to address modern changes in lithium ion batteries technology and procedures that require regulatory adjustment.

The main purpose of these amendments are to adopt and modify the most current editions of NFPA 30 and NFPA 30A.  The 2024 editions of these standards have had major changes.  All other modifications to this chapter are intended to address safety concerns discovered, align modifications with new code language, and align all numbering with new editions of adopted codes and standards.

The main purpose of the proposed amendments to 120-3-16 are to adopt the most current editions of NFPA 58 due to new food truck chapter, and to address concerns identified since the last edition of the code was adopted.

SCHEDULE

The aforesaid proposals are now on file in the Administrative Procedure Division of the Office of Commissioner of Insurance, 708 West Tower, Floyd Building, Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334, and are hereby declared to be a public record as follows:

Interested persons may participate in the proposed rulemaking process by submitting their written comments to Jeremy Betts, Administrative Procedure Division, Office of Commissioner of Insurance, 704 West Tower, Floyd Building, Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. All comments must be received by the Administrative Procedure Division by 4:30 P.M. on April 8, 2022.

Interested persons may also participate in the proposed rulemaking by submitting oral comments at the hearing to commence on April 15, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in the Hearing Room of the Office of Commissioner of Insurance, Ninth Floor, West Tower, Floyd Building, Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.     

Oral presentations at the hearing may be limited to five (5) minutes per person in order to afford all interested persons an opportunity to be heard. If you have a physical impairment and require assistance or have any questions regarding this notice, please contact the Administrative Procedure Division.

Based upon full consideration of all written and oral comments regarding the above matters, the Safety Fire Commissioner may reject or adopt the proposed rules or may make changes to the proposed rules which may require another rulemaking hearing.

Direct All Correspondence To:

Jeremy Betts
Administrative Procedure Division
704 West Tower, Floyd Building
Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Telephone Number (404) 463-0240
[email protected]

Download this pdf file. /document/document/120-3-3/download

Download this pdf file. /document/document/120-3-11/download

Download this pdf file. /document/document/120-3-16/download