Aurora Fire Rescue is tasked by Municipal Ordinance and the adoption of the International Fire Code (IFC) to provide fire and life safety measures for the community. Fire and Life Safety Inspections have proven to be an effective tool to mitigate fires, increase safety, and decrease property damage. Fire Inspectors and Crews (Fire Code Officials) conduct periodic fire inspections of commercial properties on a schedule determined by the risk to life safety in a fire event. Fire Inspectors also conduct life safety inspections for temporary use or operational permits.
The City of Aurora adopted the 2021 edition of the IFC, with amendments, effective Jan 2022. Current and past editions of the IFC may be found on the International Code Council's I-Codes website. Amendments to the code may be found in the City of Aurora MuniCode. The 2021 IFC's stated purpose is "to establish the minimum requirements consistent with nationally recognized good practice for providing a reasonable level of life safety and property protection from the hazards of fire, explosion or dangerous conditions in new and existing buildings, structures and premises, and to provide a reasonable level of safety to fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations" (Sec. 101.3).
All commercial occupancies require routine fire inspections. Fire Code Officials have the authority to enter a building or property at all reasonable times to inspect and enforce fire code or where there is reasonable cause to believe that there exists conditions or violations to fire code that makes the building or property unsafe, dangerous, or hazardous. Fire Code Officials make efforts to not disrupt business operations when conducting inspections, however, routine inspections are typically conducted unannounced during posted business hours. It may be possible to schedule a routine inspection for high- or medium-risk properties with a Fire Inspector but is not available for low-risk properties conducted by on-duty Fire Crews. Please contact the Fire Inspection Bureau to inquire about scheduling a routine inspection if you believe an unannounced fire inspection would be detrimental to your business operations.
It is the responsibility of the property owner or owner's agent to ensure fire code compliance of their property at all times.
PRIMARY FIRE INSPECTIONS
Primary Fire Inspections are scheduled automatically and initiate the inspection cycle. The inspection cycle is determined by the risk to life safety in a fire event: The higher the risk, the more frequent the inspection. All Primary Fire Inspections are assessed a primary inspection fee, per the published Fee Schedule.
Inspected annually (every year):
Assembly Occupancies (e.g., theaters, gyms, places of worship, pools, dance clubs, restaurants)
Commercial, Residential Occupancies (e.g., multi-family buildings, hotels, motels, care facilities, boarding houses)
Educational Occupancies (e.g., elementary schools, middle schools, high schools)
High-Hazard Occupancies (e.g., high quantities of hazardous, flammable, or explosive materials)
Inspected biennially (every two-years):
Institutional Occupancies (e.g., daycare, group homes, hospitals, nursing homes, correctional centers)
Storage Occupancies (e.g., warehouses, beverage or food storage facilities, vehicle repair garages)
Factory/Industrial Occupancies (e.g., paper/printing facilities, textile manufacturing, glass production)
Inspected triennially (every three years):
Business and Mercantile Occupancies (e.g., banks, clinics, department stores, grocery stores, retail or wholesale stores)
Unclassified Occupancies (e.g., towers, water tanks, agricultural buildings, greenhouses)
FOLLOW-UP FIRE INSPECTIONS
Follow-up Fire Inspections are conducted by a Fire Inspector when fire code violations are identified during a primary inspection. Follow-up fire inspections are assessed a non-compliance reinspection fee, per the fee schedule, if violations remain.
Follow-up fire inspections are typically conducted around 30 days after the primary inspection, then at two-week intervals until compliance is obtained. Reinspection timelines may be altered due to the seriousness of the violation, life safety or property hazard, and/or appropriate staff available to conduct the re-inspection. Following a third, non-complaint follow-up inspection a pre-citation letter will be issued, and if a fourth follow-up fire inspection is non-complaint, a municipal summons may be issued to the owner or responsible party.
OTHER PROGRAMS
Fire Inspectors are motivated by the City of Aurora's Core 4 principles and work closely with other local and state officials to provide comprehensive safety measures as well as serve the community by participating in other programs, such as:
• Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention
• Knox Rapid Access Program
• Fire Prevention Week
IMPORTANT NOTICES
*Fire Code Officials do not perform fire alarm, fire sprinkler, commercial hood, fire extinguisher, fire stopping, or any other type of building system test required. The owner or owner’s agent is responsible to ensure all systems have current third-party inspections and can provide a copy of the inspection results to the Fire Code Official upon request.
*Fire codes are enforced using the currently adopted fire code unless a specific exception exists in the code or amendment.
*All construction inspections and permits, including final life safety inspections, are conducted by the City of Aurora Building Department's Life Safety Division. Please communicate with your Plan Reviewer or Building Inspector inspections prior to issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy.