[CC 1988 §11-1; Ord. No. 2843 §2, 8-3-1987; Ord. No. 3301 §1, 3-17-1997; Ord. No. 3521 §1, 3-17-2003; Ord. No. 3606 §1, 12-20-2004; Ord. No. 3888 §1, 5-16-2011; Ord. No. 5042, 4-21-2025]
A. 
Fire Code. A certain code, one (1) copy of which is on file in the office of the City Clerk of the City of De Soto, Missouri, being marked and designated as "The International Fire Code, 2021 Edition," as published by the International Code Council, is hereby adopted as the Fire Code of the City of De Soto, Missouri, for the control of buildings and structures as therein provided; and each and all regulations, provisions, conditions and terms of said International Fire Code are hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this Article, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes prescribed in Section 205.020 of this Article.
B. 
Life Safety Code. A certain code, two (2) copies of which are on file in the office of the City Clerk of the City of De Soto, Missouri, being marked and designated as "NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2006 Edition", as published by the National Fire Protection Association, is hereby adopted as the NFPA Life Safety Code of the City of De Soto, Missouri, to provide minimum requirements, with due regard to function, for the design, operation and maintenance of buildings and structures for safety to life from fire and similar emergencies; and each and all regulations, provisions, conditions and terms of said Life Safety Code, and the referenced standards mentioned therein, are hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this Article, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, if any, prescribed in Section 205.020 of this Article.
C. 
NFPA 1124. A certain code, two (2) copies of which are on file in the office of the City Clerk of the City of De Soto, Missouri, being marked and designated as "NFPA 1124".
[CC 1988 §11-2; Ord. No. 2843 §2, 8-3-1987; Ord. No. 3301 §1, 3-17-1997; Ord. No. 3521 §1, 3-17-2003; Ord. No. 3888 §1, 5-16-2011; Ord. No. 5042, 4-21-2025]
A. 
The International Fire Code 2021 Edition is amended and changed in the following respects:
1. 
Amend Section 101.1 by inserting "City of De Soto, Missouri."
2. 
Amend Subsection 101.2.2 by deleting the text in its entirety and inserting "The following Appendices are hereby adopted as part of this Code; B, C, D and I."
3. 
Amend Subsection 103.1 by inserting "Fire Prevention Bureau."
4. 
Amend Subsection 103.2 by deleting the text in its entirety and inserting, "The Fire Code Official, under the code, shall be the Fire Chief or the duly authorized representative of the Fire Chief."
5. 
Amend Subsection 107.2 by deleting the text in its entirety and inserting:
Fee Schedule —
Air Curtain Destructor
One hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) per thirty (30) days
Fireworks Stand
Three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00)
Fireworks Display
Fifty dollars ($50.00)
Blasting Permit
One hundred dollars ($100.00) per ninety (90) days
Rock Quarry
One hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) a year
6. 
Add Subsection 108.2.1, "108.2.1 Annual Compliance Inspections. The Fire Code Official is authorized to conduct inspections on properties and within existing buildings and/or structures which are under the governance of this code. The inspection shall occur in compliance with Section 104.3. The purpose of this inspection is to ensure the building, structure and surrounding property are in compliance with the applicable requirements of this code. This shall include all fire protection systems such as but not limited to fire alarms, fire sprinklers and means of egress. These inspections shall occur on no more than an annual period, unless violations are cited. All violations cited in writing shall be corrected by the time period provided.
Exception: This Section shall not apply one- and two-family dwellings."
7. 
Amend Section 111 by deleting the text of the Section in its entirety and inserting, "Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Fire Code Official shall have the right to appeal that decision to the Board of Adjustment established in Section 405.410 of the De Soto City Code.
a. 
An application for appeal shall be based on a claim that the true intent of the International Fire Code or the rules legally adopted hereunder have been incorrectly interpreted, the provisions of this code do not fully apply or that the Code Official agrees that an equally good or better method of fire prevention is used. The application shall be filed on a form obtained from the Code Official within thirty (30) days after the notice was served or the decision made by filing the application with the Code Official and with the Board of Adjustment. The Code Official shall forthwith transmit to the Board of Adjustment all the papers constituting the record upon which the action appealed from is taken. The Board shall fix a reasonable time for hearing the appeal, provide reasonable notice to the parties and decide the same within a reasonable time.
b. 
Meetings — Procedure. Meetings of the Board of Adjustment shall be held in compliance with Section 405.410 of the De Soto City Code.
c. 
Board Decision. The Board of Adjustment may modify or reverse the decision of the Code Official by the concurring vote of four (4) members of the Board of Adjustment. Otherwise, the decision will be affirmed. The Code Official shall take immediate action in accordance with the decision of the Board of Adjustment.
d. 
Court Review. Appeals to the Circuit Court by any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board of Adjustment shall be made in the manner and time required by law following the issuance of the decision by the Board of Adjustment."
8. 
Amend Subsection 112.4 by deleting the text in its entirety and inserting, "Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this code herein adopted, or who shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof, or who shall fail to comply with any order issued pursuant to any Section thereof shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three (3) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, and court costs for each such offense. Each day a violation exists or continues to exist shall be deemed a separate offense."
9. 
Amend Section 202 by inserting, "Air Curtain Destructor (ACD). Special equipment used to burn large amounts of brush with little or no air pollution."
10. 
Amend Section 202 by inserting, "Alarm Systems. Any mechanical or electrical device which is designed to be actuated manually or automatically upon the detection of fire, smoke or water flow in the protected building, structure, facility, or premises through the emission of a sound or transmission of a signal or message."
11. 
Amend Section 202 by inserting, "False Alarm. Any activation of an alarm system intentionally or by inadvertence, negligence, or unintentional act to which the Fire Department responds, including activation caused by the malfunction of the alarm system, except that the following shall not be considered false alarms:
a. 
When the Fire Code Official determines that the alarm has been caused by the malfunction of the indicators at the alarm dispatching agency;
b. 
When the Fire Code Official determines that the alarm had been caused by damage, testing or repair of the telephone equipment or lines by the telephone company, provided that such incidents are promptly reported to the telephone company;
c. 
When an alarm is intentionally caused by an occupant or resident acting under a reasonable belief that a need exists to call the Fire Department."
12. 
Amend Subsection 302.1 by inserting, "Air Curtain Destructor (ACD)."
13. 
Add Subsection "307.1.2 Unfavorable Weather Conditions. The Fire Code Official shall order the extinguishment, by the permit holder, of any open burning when the wind speed is fifteen (15) miles per hour or higher, when the humidity is fifty percent (50%) or lower and when the burning creates or adds to a hazardous or unsafe situation."
14. 
Add Subsection "307.2.2 Application For Burning Permit. Applications for burning permits shall contain information regarding the name of person responsible for burning, address, and location of burning, telephone number, date of the permit, authorized signature and signature of responsible party. Application for an ACD permit must be accompanied with a permit from the Department of Natural Resources."
15. 
Add Subsection "307.2.3 Permit Fees. All permit fees shall be paid to the City of De Soto, Missouri, as provided by Section 113.2.1. All permit fees outlined in Section 113.2.1 will be effective April 1, 2012."
16. 
Amend Subsection 307.4.1 by inserting the following to the end of the paragraph, "The duration of a fire shall not be longer than six (6) hours in length."
17. 
Add Subsection "307.6 Materials. Open burning shall not be utilized for disposal of trade waste or salvage operation, or for the following materials: household trash, rubber, tires, shingles, vinyl siding, treated lumber, the fuel shall be chosen to minimize the generation of air contaminates."
18. 
Add Subsection "307.7 Air Curtain Destructor (ACD)."
19. 
Add Subsection "307.7.1 Duration Of ACD Burning. All burning operations shall only occur from the hours of 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M."
20. 
Add Subsection "307.7.2 ACD Season. Burning season shall exist from September 16 through April 14 of each year. Burning season can be extended only if approved by the Department of Natural Resources (D.N.R.)."
21. 
Add Subsection "307.7.3 ACD Permits. Before a permit can be issued for an ACD, a copy of the permit must be submitted from the Department of Natural Resources. The area must be inspected by the Fire Code Official to check material being burned and the distance to other structures. After this is approved, an ACD permit will be issued. All rules noted on the permit must be followed along with the regulations issued by the Department of Natural Resources."
22. 
Add Subsection "307.7.4 Burning Locations For ACD. The pit shall not be any closer than two hundred (200) feet from any structure."
23. 
Add Subsection "307.7.5 Pits For ACD. Must meet Department of Natural Resources requirements. The material being burned shall be loaded into the pit below the airflow. The Fire Department shall inspect each pit before any burning may occur. Violations found may cause the permit to be revoked until violations are corrected."
24. 
Add Subsection "307.7.6 Closing Of ACD Burn Pit. At 4:00 P.M. the burn pit must be covered with a minimum of two (2) feet of fill and packed with heavy equipment being utilized with the burning operation until smoke is no longer visible."
25. 
Add Subsection "307.7.7 Materials. Air Curtain Destructors (ACD) shall not be utilized for waste disposal purposes, or for the following materials: household trash, rubber, tires, shingles, vinyl siding, treated lumber, and cedar trees, poison ivy and poison sumac, or as approved by the Fire Code Official."
26. 
Amend Subsection 506.1 by inserting after the first sentence, "All commercial and multi-family residential buildings shall be required to install a key box as required by the Fire Code Official."
27. 
Add Subsection "506.2.1 Key Box Installation. The key-box system shall be installed as follows:
a. 
Recessed mount: The box shall be installed a minimum of five (5) feet but no more than six (6) feet above finished grade.
b. 
Surface mount: The box shall be installed a minimum of five (5) feet but no more than six (6) feet above finished grade.
c. 
Rapid entry key switch or lock: The location of the switch shall be approved by the Fire Code Official.
d. 
Location: The box shall be mounted at a location close to the front door or as directed by the Fire Code Official.
e. 
Fire Department alert decal: One (1) decal shall be mounted on each exterior door in the center of the glass or on the door frame as directed by the Fire Code Official.
28. 
Amend Subsection 902.1 by inserting, "Alarms systems" and "False alarm."
29. 
Amend Subsection 903.3.6 by deleting, "be as prescribed by the Fire Code Official" and inserting, "five (5) inch stortz or as prescribed by the Fire Code Official."
30. 
Amend Subsection 903.3.7 by deleting the text in its entirety and inserting, "The location of Fire Department connection(s) shall be in front of the building or as prescribed by the Fire Code Official."
31. 
Add Subsection "907.11 Faulty Alarms."
32. 
Add Subsection "907.11.1 Condition. No person, corporation, firm or other entity owning or occupying any premises within the boundaries of the City, in or on which premises is installed an automatic fire alarm, fire detection or sprinkler system, shall transmit false alarms to any alarm dispatching agency."
33. 
Add Subsection "907.11.2 Tampering. It shall be unlawful for any owner or occupant to reduce the effectiveness of the protection so required or so installed, except that the owner or occupant may temporarily reduce or discontinue the protection where necessary to make test, repairs, alteration, or additions. The Fire Code Official shall be notified before such test; tapers, alterations, or additions are to be affected and upon completion shall be advised of the extent of any such work for additional requirements."
34. 
Add Subsection "907.11.3 Notification To Fire Department When Out Of Service. Whenever an alarm is to be out of service for repairs, it shall be the owner's or occupant's responsibility to determine that the serviceman performing such repairs has notified the Fire Department of the pending shutoff prior to such action. When an alarm system has central station supervision, the company providing such service shall also be notified of said action."
35. 
Add Subsection "907.11.4 Penalty To Notify. Failure to notify the alarm dispatching organization or the Fire Department of a system shutoff and the repairs which result in unnecessary alarm being transmitted to the Fire Department will subject the owner or occupant to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each false alarm, in addition to any other penalties this ordinance may provide."
36. 
Add Subsection "907.11.5 System In Disrepair. Should any such alarm system transmit any false alarm to the Fire Department either directly or through a central dispatching agency, or should inspection of any such system by any officer of the Fire Department reveal a condition such that the system is likely to transmit a false alarm, the owner or occupant of the premises shall take such remedial action as necessary, and shall make or cause to be made such adjustments and repairs to the alarm system as the Fire Code Official shall order. An order by the Fire Code Official shall be complete within twenty-four (24) hours after such order has been given."
37. 
Add Subsection "907.11.6 Charges Of False Alarms. All false alarms to which the Fire Department responds shall result in the following charges to the alarm system's owner or occupant."
38. 
Add Subsection "907.11.7 First False Alarm. A warning for the first false alarm in any calendar year."
39. 
Add Subsection "907.11.8 Second False Alarm. Fifty dollars ($50.00) charge for the second false alarm in any calendar year."
40. 
Add Subsection "907.11.9 Third False Alarm. One hundred dollars ($100.00) service charge for the third and any subsequent false alarm in any calendar year."
41. 
Add Subsection "907.11.10 Payment. Upon determination by the Fire Code Official that a false alarm has occurred, the City shall send a notice to the alarm user of the determination and directing the payment of the appropriate service charge within thirty (30) days."
42. 
Add Subsection "907.11.11 Cancellation. The City may cancel any notice or service charge upon satisfactory proof by the alarm user that a particular alarm falls within the exceptions enumerated in the foregoing Sections."
43. 
Add Subsection "907.11.12 Refusal. Willful refusal to pay any such charge within thirty (30) days following notice shall constitute a violation of this Section."
44. 
Add Subsection "907.11.13 Twelve-Month Period No False Alarms. If the owner or occupant of a building continues through a twelve (12) month period without a faulty or false alarm, they shall begin at a new faulty or false alarm signal period."
45. 
Add Subsection "907.10.15 New Systems. Newly installed systems shall be given sixty days (60) to correct any problems that may activate a faulty or false alarm signal."
46. 
Amend Subsection 1103.5.3, delete the text in its entirety and insert, "In addition to the requirements of Section 1103.5.2 existing buildings of Group I-2, condition 2 occupancy shall be equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1. The automatic sprinkler system shall be installed as required by Missouri State Statute."
47. 
Amend Subsection 5704.2.9.6.1 by deleting in its entirety and inserting, "Storage of Class I and II liquids in above-ground tanks outside of buildings is prohibited unless located in an industrial zoned location, as determined by the City of De Soto Zoning Map, and approved by the Fire Code Official. Installation of such tanks in other zoned areas of the City may be permitted when approved by the Fire Code Official."
48. 
Amend Subsection 5706.2.4.4 by deleting in its entirety and inserting, "Storage of Class I and II liquids in above-ground tanks is prohibited unless located in an industrial zoned location, as determined by the City of De Soto Zoning Map, and approved by the Fire Code Official. Installation of such tanks in other zoned areas of the City may be permitted when approved by the Fire Code Official."
49. 
Amend Subsection 5806.2 by deleting in its entirety and inserting, "Storage of flammable cryogenic fluids in stationary containers outside of buildings is prohibited unless located in an industrial zoned location, as determined by the City of De Soto Zoning Map, and approved by the Fire Code Official. Installation of such tanks in other zoned areas of the City may be permitted when approved by the Fire Code Official."
50. 
Amend Subsection 6102.2 by deleting in its entirety and inserting, "When located in an industrial zoned location, as determined by the City of De Soto Zoning Map, and approved by the Fire Code Official. The aggregated capacity of any one (1) installation shall not exceed a water capacity of two thousand (2,000) gallons (7,570 L). Installation of such tanks in other zoned areas of the City may be permitted when approved by the Fire Code Official."
51. 
Add Subsection "C102.2 Fire Hydrant To Fire Department Connection. There shall be a fire hydrant within one hundred fifty (150) feet of the Fire Department connection."
52. 
Add Section "C106.0 Installation Of Fire Hydrant."
53. 
Add Subsection "C106.1 Fire Hydrant Height. Fire hydrants shall be installed a minimum of fourteen (14) inches and a maximum of thirty-six (36) inches above finish grade, measured from the center of the steamer connection."
54. 
Add Section "C107 Color Coding Fire Hydrants."
55. 
Add Subsection "C107.1 Scope. All fire hydrants shall be painted yellow and match the following requirements after installed by the contractor. The paint must be a good grade and applied with either a brush or sprayer as approved by the Fire Code Official and the Public Works Director."
56. 
Add Subsection "C107.3 Color Coding Of Fire Hydrant Side Caps And Bonnets. All fire hydrant side caps and bonnets (top flange of the fire hydrant) are to be painted as follows:
Color
Gallons Per Minute
Light Blue
1,500 or greater
Green
1,000 — 1,499
Orange
500 — 999
Red
0 — 499
Black
Out of Service
57. 
Add Subsection C107.4 Color Coding Of Private Fire Hydrants. All private fire hydrants shall be painted completely red.
[Ord. No. 3888 §1, 5-16-2011]
Any person violating any of the provisions of this Chapter or any of the codes adopted in this Chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an amount not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or be imprisoned in the County Jail for a period of not exceeding ninety (90) days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day such violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.