ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
building and fire
safety; continuation
Continues the Department of Building and Fire Safety for ten years and expands the duties of the Office of the Fire Marshal.
The Arizona Department of Building and Fire Safety (Department) was established in 1986 through a merger of the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Office of Manufactured Housing. Statute directs the Department to further the public safety and welfare by reducing hazards to life and property through the maintenance and enforcement of the state fire code, and by maintaining and enforcing standards of quality and safety for manufactured homes, mobile homes, factory-built buildings and recreational vehicles. The Department is organized into three offices: the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Office of Manufactured Housing and the Office of Administration.
The Office of the Auditor General conducted a sunset review of the Department in 2001. The Committee of Reference of the Senate Government and the House of Representatives Retirement & Government Operations Committees held a public hearing to review the Department responses and to hear public testimony. The Committee of Reference recommended the continuation of the Department for ten years and that statute be amended to allows tenants to apply for and receive monetary assistance from the mobile home relocation fund.
A fiscal note has been requested for this legislation.
1. Continues the Department of Building and Fire Safety until July 1, 2012.
2. Changes the time frame for a tenant to apply to the Department for reimbursement of relocation expenses from at least 15 days before the relocation to within 60 days after the relocation in order to be eligible for relocation expenses.
3. Requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to assist in coordinating efforts to simplify the transmittal of fire and safety related information among and within local fire jurisdictions and maintain that information in the Department.
4. Requires a commercial tenant to report to the State Fire Marshal within ten days of first taking tenancy under a commercial lease:
a) The location and type of business activities,
b) A description of the names and amounts of any hazardous materials located on the premises and a listing of possible fire hazards on the premises and
c) A description of access routes into and out of the premises, hours of operations of the business and the number of employees located on the premises.
5. Requires the State Fire Marshal to receive and submit the commercial tenant’s report to the Director of the Department and a commercial tenant.
6. Repeals the statutes governing the Department on January 1, 2013.
7. Repeals the sunset date of the Department on July 1, 2002 and the corresponding termination statutes.
8. Describes the purpose of the Department.
9. Contains a July 1, 2002 retroactivity date for the provisions relating to the continuation of the Department.
10. Contains technical changes.
11. Provides for a general effective date unless otherwise specified.
House Action
RGO 2/12/02 DP 8-0-0-2-0
3rd Read 4/9/02 45-9-6-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
April 17, 2002