SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1999 SESSION

996450148
HOUSE BILL NO. 2571
Offered January 21, 1999
A BILL to amend and reenact § 36-99.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to fire suppression devices in colleges and universities.
----------

Patrons-- Christian, Baskerville, Bennett, Crittenden, Darner, Day, Harris, Jackson, Jones, D.C., May, McEachin, Melvin, Parrish, Purkey, Robinson and Spruill; Senators: Hanger and Miller, Y.B.
----------
Referred to Committee on Education
----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 36-99.3 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 36-99.3. Smoke detectors and automatic sprinkler systems in colleges and universities.

A. College or university buildings containing dormitories for sleeping purposes shall be provided with battery or AC powered smoke detector devices installed therein in accordance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code. All public or private college and university dormitories shall have installed and use due diligence in maintaining in good working order such detectors regardless of when the building was constructed.

B. The Board of Housing and Community Development shall promulgate regulations pursuant to item (ii) of subdivision C5 of section 9-6.14:4.1 establishing standards for automatic sprinkler systems throughout all public or private college or university buildings which are (i) more than seventy-five feet or more than six stories high and (ii) used, in whole or in part, as dormitories to house students. Such buildings shall be equipped with automatic sprinkler systems by September 1, 1999, regardless of when such buildings were constructed; a private institution located in Hampton Roads shall not be required to comply with this requirement for an eight-story residence hall which is twenty-eight years old and has a square footage of 60,843, unless state financial support is provided to assist in the cost of installation of the automatic sprinkler system.

C. The chief administrative office of the college or university shall obtain a certificate of compliance with the provisions of this section from the building official of the locality in which the college or university is located or, in the case of state-owned buildings, from the Director of the Department of General Services.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any dormitory at a state-supported military college or university which is patrolled twenty-four hours a day by military guards.