The purpose of this chapter is to establish fees for specific fire code permits as defined in the International Fire Code (“IFC”), adopted by Chapter 3.02 of this code, and for the establishment of fees for specific services performed by Fire Department personnel. All fees outlined in this Chapter, along with their price, are outlined in the City of Tacoma Fee Schedule.
(Ord. 25412 § 4, 1993-12-14; Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
(Adjustments. Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28502 Ex. C, 2018-04-18; Ord. 28549 Ex. B, 2018-11-20; repealed by Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
All terminology not defined in this chapter shall be defined as stated in the IFC, as adopted by Chapter 3.02 of this code.
"Assembly occupancy."
For the purposes of this chapter, a facility designed under the fire and building codes meeting the definition of an “A” Occupancy Classification, including a building not classified as an “A” Occupancy operating under a Temporary Special Events permit, and fairs, large carnivals, outdoor concerts and festivals, and other outdoor events where groups of more than 100 people may gather.
"Fire protection license."
The license required by the Tacoma Fire Department for persons to engage in the installation, maintenance, sale, and performance of confidence testing for all fire protection systems, including fire extinguisher certification and testing and commercial kitchen hood cleaning.
"Flammable finishes."
Material coatings in which the material being applied is a flammable liquid, combustible liquid, combustible powder, or flammable or combustible gel coating.
"Hazard class."
The nine general United Nations hazard classes, which are explosives and blasting agents, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids and reactive liquids and solids, oxidizers and organic peroxides, toxic or poisonous materials and infectious substances, radioactive materials, corrosive materials, and miscellaneous hazardous materials, as defined by the United Nations hazard class.
"Hazardous substances or hazardous waste."
As defined by RCW 70A.300, Hazardous Waste Management, subsection 70A.300.010.
"Hazardous waste facility."
A business engaged in the receiving, handling, or storing of hazardous waste material.
"Hot work."
Operations conducting brazing, torch cutting, grinding, gas or electric welding in a hazardous or Factory occupancy, as defined in the Fire Code. Any location engaged in marine ship repair or construction, any manufacturing operation, or any location systematically using tools for the purpose of conducting hot work. Roofing operations involving the use of open flame, torch down roofing process, and the use of hot tar kettles and tank trucks.
"Hourly rate."
The current total hourly cost to the jurisdiction, including supervision, overhead, equipment, hourly wages, and fringe benefits of the employee involved.
"Marine fuel transfer."
The transfer of flammable or combustible liquid or gas to or from a vessel or watercraft.
"Marine terminal."
Any business that furnishes a wharf, dock, or pier to connect with a highway, rail carrier or pipeline, and/or a water carrier.
"Mobile fueling company."
A company delivering and fueling Class II motor vehicle fuel on an approved site for on-road vehicles.
"Mobile fueling site."
The site approved to have on-road vehicles fueled by a Mobile Fueling Company.
"Nightclub."
Facilities meeting the definition established by the state of Washington, as stated in the Washington Building Code, Chapter 51-50 WAC.
"Person."
Any entity, including any person, firm, association, agency, private corporations, or public corporation including any county or municipal corporation, including Tacoma city departments, facilities, and agencies. A responsible person is the person who is legally responsible for obtaining a permit or paying a fee. If more than one person may be legally responsible, the Fire Department may require any of them to obtain the permit or pay the fee.
"Preengineered fire protection system."
A system having predetermined flow rates, nozzle pressures, and quantities of agent. These systems have the specific pipe size, maximum and minimum pipe lengths, flexible hose specifications, number of fittings, and number and types of nozzles prescribed by a testing laboratory. The hazards protected by these systems are specifically limited as to type and size by a testing laboratory base upon actual fire tests. Limitations on hazards that can be protected by these systems are contained in the manufacturer’s installation manual, which is referenced as part of the listing. These systems typically protect locations such as paint booths and computer server rooms.
(Ord. 25412 § 4, 1993-12-14; Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
Fees for IFC construction and operational permits shall be paid prior to issuance of the permit and completion of inspection. The fees specified in this chapter shall be doubled in any instance where a person starts or continues work for which a permit fee is required prior to obtaining said permit, provided that in no case shall such fee be less than $200. This chapter shall be subject to the provisions of Section 3.01.110 TMC unless otherwise stated. The payment of such double fee shall not relieve any person from full compliance with applicable codes in the execution of the work, nor from any other penalties prescribed by law.
(Ord. 25412 § 4, 1993-12-14; Ord. 26389 § 3, 1999-05-25; Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28266 Ex. A, 2014-12-09; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
The following are Fire Protection System Permits and Inspection Fees that shall be collected by the Planning and Development Services Department. These permits and inspection fees may be updated by City Council Action at any time or by Planning and Development Services Department on an annual basis by using the “Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers,” following the process as explained in 3.01.100.
A. 
Fire alarm system permit. A fee shall be charged for the permitting, plan reviewing, and site inspection of a fire alarm system. Each initiating and signaling device shall be counted as a separate device.
B. 
Commercial cooking systems plan review and testing. Any person installing a fire-extinguishing system for a commercial-cooking system shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit.
C. 
Pre-engineered systems plan review and testing. Any person installing a pre-engineered fire suppression system consisting of one or more alarm devices and fire-extinguishing system shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit.
D. 
Fire sprinkler systems plan review and testing. Any person installing a fire sprinkler-extinguishing system shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit. The following shall not be subject to this subsection D: 13D systems for detached single-family dwelling when not required by code or under alternate method and tenant improvements modifying 20 or fewer sprinkler heads.
E. 
Standpipes plan review and testing. Any person installing a standpipe system shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit.
F. 
Fire pump plan review and testing. Any person installing a fire pump shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit.
G. 
Sprinkler system water supply plan review and testing. Any person installing a sprinkler system water supply shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit. 13D systems and 13R systems that are not required by code or under alternate method shall not be subject to this subsection.
H. 
Tenant improvement with 20 or fewer sprinkler heads plan review and testing. When making modifications for tenant improvement, any person modifying 6 or fewer sprinkler heads on an existing fire sprinkler system shall pay a fee for plan review and acceptance testing prior to issuance of a permit.
I. 
Requests for temporary certificate of occupancy inspection and approval. Any person requesting a temporary Certificate of Occupancy shall pay a fee for a Fire Department site inspection prior to approval of temporary occupancy.
J. 
Smoke control systems plan review and testing. Any person installing a smoke control system shall pay a plan review fee prior to issuance of a permit.
K. 
Additional fund fees. In addition to the stated permit fee, additional fees for dedicated funds as outlined in TMC § 2.09.040 and the Fee Schedule shall be collected.
(Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28109 Ex. M, 2012-12-04; Ord. 28502 Ex. C, 2018-04-18; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
The following fees shall be required for each IFC construction permit and for completion of inspection for each permit.
A. 
Above-ground tank permit. A permit is required to install any above-ground tank designed to contain flammable or combustible liquids. The fee shall be per tank.
B. 
Underground tank installation permit. One permit per site is required to install or alter any underground flammable or combustible liquid tank. The fee shall be per tank.
C. 
Underground tank removal or decommissioning. A permit is required to remove or decommission any underground flammable or combustible liquid tank. The fee shall be per site. For a residential fuel tank with a capacity of less than 1,100 gallons, the fee shall be less.
D. 
Liquid Petroleum Gas (“LPG”) tank permit. A permit is required to install any LPG tank. There shall be a fee for tanks of 125-gallon capacity or less. There shall be a fee for all other permanent and temporary installations.
(Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
The following fees shall be required for IFC operational permits. Any person with overdue fees may be denied issuance of additional permits until past due fees are paid. Permit applications must be complete to include all required submittals as stated in permit conditions for the subject permit. Permit will be issued when approved. Applicants not approved will be notified of the denial and reasons for denial. These fees are not refundable.
A. 
Assembly permits.
1. 
Assembly permit-annual. A permit is required to operate an Assembly Occupancy, as defined in the Building and Fire Code, including, but not limited to, motion picture theaters, symphony and concert halls, theaters, exhibition halls, arenas, and stadiums.
2. 
Assembly temporary special event permit. A permit is required for Assembly events meeting any of the following:
a. 
The use of a building or part of a building that is not classified as an Assembly Occupancy.
b. 
An event in an Assembly Occupancy where alterations to the existing exiting configuration, character, or use of the facility are changed in any manner.
c. 
Operating a fair, large carnival, outdoor concert, festival, or other event where groups of more than 100 people may gather.
3. 
Bonfire permit. A permit is required to have an outdoor fire with a fuel diameter greater than three feet and a height greater than two feet.
4. 
Indoor and outdoor booth-Assembly permit. A permit is required to operate a booth in Indoor and Outdoor Assembly events. For seasonal events that occur on a weekly basis, the season shall be considered an event. The fee scale for the number of booths is in the Fee Schedule.
5. 
LPG or natural gas use in assembly occupancy-Temporary use. A permit is required for the use of LPG or Natural Gas for cooking or demonstration and other purposes in an Assembly Occupancy.
6. 
LPG outdoor assembly-Temporary use. A permit is required for the use of LPG in Outdoor Assembly events. For seasonal events that reoccur on a weekly basis, the season shall be considered one event. The fee scale for the number of users is in the Fee Schedule.
7. 
Open flame in assembly permit. A permit is required for the use of open flame entertainment, such as Fire Acts, the use of candles, and Open flame devices in a place of Assembly.
8. 
Tents, canopies, and membrane structures permit. A permit is required for enclosed tents and membrane structures over 200 sq. ft. and canopies over 400 sq. ft.
B. 
Hazardous materials or processes.
1. 
Hazardous materials permit-annual. No hazardous material may be stored, used, or handled in quantities greater than the maximum allowable quantities per control area as set forth in the IFC by any occupancy unless and until the occupancy receives an Annual Hazard Permit for the specific hazardous material.
a. 
No occupancy shall store, use, or handle any permitted hazardous material except under the terms and conditions of the permit. Any occupancy storing, using, or handling any hazardous material under terms or conditions not conforming to its permit shall reapply for an amended permit prior to accepting the hazardous material.
b. 
A permit fee shall be paid per one hazardous material if said material falls into more than one UN Hazard Class.
c. 
A marine terminal with an Annual Marine Terminal Permit shall not pay this fee.
d. 
Chapter 3.12 TMC shall apply to the storage of fireworks in lieu of this subsection.
2. 
Hazardous waste facility permit-Annual. Any person in the business of storing, using, or handling hazardous waste material shall obtain a hazardous Waste Facility Permit.
a. 
Financial resources. All private hazardous Waste Facilities shall annually and periodically, as requested by the Fire Chief, demonstrate to their satisfaction the financial resources necessary to successfully mitigate a hazardous waste spill and the resulting contamination to complete disposal of all hazardous materials and containers and to clean up the spill at the facility. Proof of adequate insurance or an adequate surety bond shall constitute sufficient demonstration of financial resources. Insurance in the amount of $1 million per incident, which covers the following risks, shall constitute sufficient resources: property and casualty, loading, unloading, transportation, remedial environmental mitigation, abandonment, and malicious actions. The insurance policy shall identify the City of Tacoma as an additionally named insured thereunder and stipulate that said policy shall provide primary coverage, regardless of other insurance the City may carry on its own behalf. The City, through the Risk Management Office, shall be given not less than 60 days advance written notice of any termination or material change to the policy. No permit shall be deemed valid if the permit holder’s insurance policy changes in such a way as to fail to comply with this chapter.
b. 
Company plan. No permit shall be issued until the Hazardous Waste Facility provides a written company plan to demonstrate its preparation to:
(1) 
Respond to a spill and carry out appropriate mitigation measures, and
(2) 
Completely dispose of all hazardous materials and containers and clean up the facility prior to closure of the facility or when ordered closed by any agency. At a minimum, this plan shall include details on: notification, operator mitigation actions, immediate response available for mitigation assistance, company contracted to clean up or equipment and supplies available by the company to respond and clean up, process for safeguarding contaminated materials on the tanker, and final hazardous waste disposal process.
3. 
Special hazardous material permit. A permit is required to store, transport on site, dispense, use, or handle hazardous materials in quantities greater than the maximum allowable quantities per control area, as set forth in the IFC when conducted without an Annual Permit. The fee is per event.
4. 
Application of flammable finishes permit. Any person engaged in the application of flammable finishes shall obtain approval and a permit from the Fire Department. The fee is administered annually.
5. 
Pyrotechnic display permit. No person shall conduct a pyrotechnic display without an approved permit from the Tacoma Fire Department. Additional fees will be incurred if the need for a fire watch inspector exceeds two hours.
6. 
Plant extraction systems - Annual. An operational permit is required to use a plant extraction system for commercial use. The fee would be charged annually.
C. 
Hot work.
1. 
Hot work permit. A permit is required to conduct operations, including, but not limited to, brazing, torch cutting, grinding, gas or electric welding in a Hazardous or Factory occupancy or location, as defined in the Fire Code.
2. 
Roofing operations permit. A permit is required to conduct roofing operations with the use of open flame for torch down roofing operations and hot tar tank trucks and tar kettles.
D. 
Marine facilities.
1. 
Marine terminal permit-Annual. Any marine terminal that stores or handles one or more hazard classes of hazardous materials shall obtain an Annual Marine Terminal Permit.
2. 
Marine fuel transfer permit-Annual. Any person conducting a business in Marine Fuel Transfer from a fixed site shall obtain an Annual Marine Fueling Station permit.
3. 
Shore to ship refueling permit-Annual. Any person conducting a Marine Fuel Transfer from a vehicle to a vessel shall first obtain approval and a permit from the Fire Department.
E. 
Mobile fueling.
1. 
Mobile fueling site permit. A permit is required to fuel on-road vehicles with the delivery of Class II fuel from a mobile vendor.
2. 
Mobile fueling company permit. A permit is required to engage in the delivery to approved sites for the delivery of Class II fuel oil. For companies requiring vehicle inspections outside the City of Tacoma, an additional fee of $100 shall be charged.
(Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
The Fire Department shall collect the following additional fees:
A. 
Advisory inspection with written report. When a person requests a written report for any Fire Department inspection for the purpose of determining possible future needs of a building, or a site inspection for evaluating potential outdoor burns, a written report shall be produced.
B. 
Advisory inspection with no written report. When a person does not request a written report for any Fire Department inspection for the purpose of determining possible future needs of a building or a site inspection for evaluating potential outdoor burns, no written report shall be required.
C. 
Federal- or state-mandated inspection. For any Fire Code inspection requested to fulfill a federal or state mandate, a written report shall be produced.
D. 
Alternate method review fee. Whenever a building owner or other responsible party proposes to use an alternate material or method to meet the intent or requirement of the Fire Code, the responsible party shall pay a fee for field inspection, research, and analysis performed by Fire Department personnel to evaluate the proposal. An initial fee shall be paid at the time of submittal for consideration. The applicant shall pay an additional fee when more than four hours of work is performed for field inspection, research, and analysis. The additional fee will be calculated based upon the applicable hourly rate multiplied by the number of staff hours worked multiplied by the number of staff hours worked.
E. 
Re-test Fee for fire protection system acceptance testing. A person shall pay a re-test fee for subsequent acceptance inspections under the following circumstances:
1. 
Whenever a Prevention Division inspector determines that a fire protection system is not ready for a requested inspection or the applicant fails to appear;
2. 
Whenever a Prevention Division inspector determines that the inspection reveals a significantly unacceptable or incomplete system.
The Fire Chief, or designee, may require this fee to be paid prior to additional inspections. The fee shall be a set amount per participating staff personnel, or the hourly rate for participating personnel multiplied by the number of hours worked, whichever is the greater.
F. 
Off duty hours inspection fee. When any person requests acceptance testing or Certificate of Occupancy inspection at a time outside the normal business hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST of the Prevention Division, the person shall pay a fee per participating staff person for an inspection completed within two hours and, thereafter, a set amount per half hour per staff person for each additional half hour or fraction thereof.
G. 
Fire watch. The Fire Chief, or designee, shall determine when Fire Department personnel must conduct a fire watch due to code requirements, excessive occupant load, the unusual nature of the event, the use of pyrotechnics or fireworks, the existence of hazardous condition, the inoperability of the fire protection system, or other conditions affecting safety at the event or at the property. The person responsible for the facility shall pay a fee. If more than one person is required for the fire watch, the person responsible for the facility shall pay an additional fee. The Fire Chief or designee may notify the responsible person of the period of the fire watch and the resulting fee prior to the event.
H. 
Re-inspection fee. Whenever Prevention Division personnel are required to perform an inspection after three inspections by any Fire Department personnel due to noncompliance with Fire Code requirements, the responsible person shall pay a fee. This fee shall be charged for each inspection performed by Prevention Division personnel until compliance with the Fire code requirements has been accomplished. This fee shall be charged each and every time Prevention Division personnel reinspect a facility for noncompliance with Fire Protection System-monitoring code requirements.
I. 
Late fee for annual Fire Protection System (“FPS”) confidence test reports. Any person responsible for the maintenance of an FPS shall be subject to an FPS Tracking Maintenance fee when found by the Fire Department to be in violation of Chapter 901.6 or 901.7 of the IFC, as adopted by Chapter 3.02 TMC. When a person fails to forward results of a valid test to the Prevention Division within 60 days of the date the testing results are due at the Prevention Division, the person shall pay an initial fee and an additional fee each additional month or portion thereof that the violation continues.
J. 
Failure to monitor an FPS. The responsible person shall pay a fee whenever the person fails to maintain FPS monitoring as required by Chapter 3.02 TMC for a fire alarm system, fire sprinkler system, or other fire protection system.
K. 
Fire department application review inspection fee. A fee shall be charged for any special application review conducted by the Fire Department when a site inspection is necessary that is not addressed elsewhere in this chapter. This fee shall include but not be limited to site inspections for land use applications and off site improvement requests.
L. 
Public records of the fire department. A maximum fee per page may be collected for reproduction of any Fire Department record subject to public disclosure in addition to the cost of postage where applicable. For digital information on compact disc, the fees established in Chapter 2.09 TMC shall be charged.
M. 
Nonpublic records of the fire department. A fee for researching, reproducing, and the releasing of nonpublic records of the Fire Department to insurance companies and their agents under the Arson Fraud Immunity Act shall be assessed at a fee per incident report.
N. 
Employee fire emergency procedures training. The Fire Department is authorized to charge per person for employee fire emergency procedures training required by Chapter 3.02 TMC.
O. 
Fire safety and evacuation planning training. The Fire Department is authorized to charge per person for the fire safety planning classes, evacuation plan development classes, and other fire safety, emergency management, injury prevention, and related classes.
P. 
Civil interview, trial and deposition, and declaration/affidavit/statement fee schedule. A civil interview shall include any conversation with a Fire Department employee regarding their knowledge regarding a referenced incident or generalized knowledge relating to expert testimony and written exchange, including, but not limited to, informal interviews, depositions, court testimony, arbitrations and similar hearings, and requests to review and/or sign documents. Any person interviewing a Fire Department employee or asking that an employee review a written statement regarding information obtained in the course of their employment shall pay a fee as calculated below. The methodology that shall be used to calculate the appropriate hourly rate to be charged shall be as follows:
1. 
The City shall select the top step hourly wage rate without longevity for each employee class code at regular time for all appointive and unrepresented employees and at the overtime rate for all classified employees plus 50 percent of that hourly rate as an estimate of the additional charge for employee benefits to determine the base hourly charge. However, for consistency and standardization purposes, interview fees for Prevention Division employees conducting fire investigations shall be calculated by dividing the sum of all individual hourly rates of all employees of all ranks assigned to conduct fire investigations by the total number of employees so assigned.
2. 
The City shall add to the first hour an additional overhead charge of 15 percent for that hour only to pay the cost to the Fire Department to send notice of any subpoenas or requested appointments to Fire personnel and to make scheduling changes made necessary by the request. A flat fee of $25 shall also be charged for the first hour only to recover the cost to the Finance Department to prepare the billing invoice; receive, deposit, and receipt the money; and notify the Fire Department to proceed with the request.
3. 
To the first hour charge rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount shall be added a second hour at the base hourly rate rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount which shall constitute the two-hour minimum charge for service. Any additional hours shall be charged at the base hourly rate rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount.
4. 
Interviews with Prevention Division staff shall be scheduled by contacting the Prevention Division. All other interviews shall be scheduled by contacting Fire Department headquarters.
5. 
All persons seeking interviews under this subsection shall pre-pay the two-hour minimum charge. This fee is nonrefundable in the event the requester cancels.
6. 
Persons desiring preliminary interviews may be given one 15-minute interview without charge.
7. 
Fees for this service shall be amended annually or as necessary to reflect actual increases in the cost of hourly wage rates for employees, actual increases in the cost of employee benefits reflected as an average percentage of hourly wage rates or the actual cost for overhead as calculated and documented by the Finance Department.
Q. 
The City shall be authorized to contract with private parties to assist the City to enforce provisions of the fire code requiring timely inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire protection or other required systems. The City’s contractors shall be allowed to charge a fee for their service intended to compensate the contractor and assist the City to fund the enforcement of the fire code.
1. 
The City’s contractor’s charge to third-party inspection, testing, and maintenance contractors shall be per occurrence.
2. 
The City’s contractor’s charge and fees may be amended annually by written consent of both the contractor and the City.
(Ord. 25412 § 4, 1993-12-14; Ord. 25913 § 1, 1996-06-04; Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; Ord. 28549 Ex. B, 2018-11-20; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)
The Fire Chief or designee has the authority to impose a fee for and administer a Building Inspection Program (“BIP”). The BIP shall focus on commercial, industrial, and multi-family buildings for fire and life safety code enforcement purposes.
A. 
The owners and occupants of any commercial, industrial, or multi-family building that contains any occupancy type, as defined within the adopted Fire Prevention Code, Chapter 3.02 TMC, shall pay the fee(s) for periodic building inspections conducted under the BIP in accordance with the City of Tacoma Fee Schedule.
B. 
Inspection fees assessed. Beginning January 1, 2019, building inspection fees for periodic fire and life safety code enforcement inspections shall be assessed in accordance with the following base inspection fee schedule based on total building area(s) of each individual occupancy and the relevant occupancy group as defined by the adopted Fire Prevention Code. The base inspection fees will be increased annually in accordance with the methodology in Section 3.01.100 TMC. The current fee schedule, with all adjustments to BIP Base Inspection Fee table below, are available upon request from the Fire Prevention Division.
1. 
BIP Base Inspection Fee Schedule can be found in the City’s Fee Schedule or by contacting the Prevention Division.
a. 
Occupancy groups. The below occupancy types are grouped as follows:
(1) 
Group 1.
B – (Business) The use of a building or structure for office, professional or service type transactions.
M – (Mercantile) Building or structures used for the display and sale of merchandise accessible to the public.
U – (Miscellaneous) Building or structures of an accessory character and miscellaneous structures not classified in any specific occupancy.
(2) 
Group 2.
A – (Assembly) The use of a building or structure for the gathering together of persons for the purposes such as civic, social or religious functions, recreation, food or drink consumption or awaiting transportation.
E – (Educational) The use of a building or structure by 6 or more persons for educational purposes through the 12th grade. (Day Cares: More than 5 children older than 2.5 years of age).
(3) 
Group 3.
F – (Factory) The use of a building or structure for assembling, disassembling, fabricating, finishing, manufacturing, packaging, repair or processing operations.
H – (Hazardous) The use of a building or structure that involves the manufacturing, processing, generation or storage of materials that constitutes a physical or health hazard.
I – (Institutional) The use of a building or structure in which people are cared for or are living in a supervised environment. This includes people having physical limitations because of health or age, are harbored for medical treatment or other care and where people are detained for correctional purposes.
S – (Storage) The use of a building or structure for storage that is not classified as an “H” Occupancy.
(4) 
Group 4.
R – (Residential) The use of a building or structure for sleeping purposes.
Single-family and duplex residential buildings are excluded from the inspection program and therefore shall not be assessed inspection fees.
b. 
Base inspection fees. The base inspection fee shall cover the initial inspection and one follow-up inspection for the purpose of ensuring the correction of any deficiencies or defects noted during the initial inspection.
c. 
Additional follow-up inspection fees. Any additional follow-up inspections beyond the first follow-up inspection necessary to ensure correction of any identified deficiencies or defects shall be billed a minimum fee per hour (one-hour minimum charge with additional time computed in quarter-hour increments) until full compliance is achieved.
d. 
The Fire Chief, or designee, is authorized to waive or partially reduce inspection fees in accordance with Section 3.01.110 TMC.
C. 
Inspection fee payment obligation. The obligation to pay the fees assessed shall fall to the building owners or occupants of the building as determined pursuant to an inspection accounts process established by the BIP. The occupants or building owners identified during the inspection as being responsible for code compliance of the building or space shall be deemed the responsible party for paying the fees.
D. 
Inspection fee collection procedure. The fees established shall be billed directly to the responsible party. For accounts delinquent for more than 30 days, a monthly fee of one percent per month on the unpaid balance with a minimum of $3.00 charge shall be assessed to the responsible party. In addition, the Fire Chief or designee may use any other lawful means to collect the obligation, including the use of collection agencies.
E. 
Inspection fee applicability. The BIP fees shall apply equally to all buildings under the jurisdictional authority of the adopted Fire Prevention Code, Chapter 3.02 TMC, unless otherwise determined.
(Ord. 27308 § 4, 2005-01-11; Ord. 27794 Ex. A, 2009-04-14; repealed and reenacted by Ord. 28266 Ex. A, 2014-12-09; Ord. 28549 Ex. B, 2018-11-20; Ord. 28702 Ex. B, 2020-11-24)