Bill Text: NJ S851 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires emblems be placed on certain structures to notify firefighters of solar panels; requires that certain solar panel information be filed with local fire department.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S851 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S851-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DONALD NORCROSS
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Requires emblems be placed on certain structures to notify firefighters of solar panels; requires that certain solar panel information be filed with local fire department.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the fire safety and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. For the purposes of this act:
"Local enforcing agency" means the enforcing agency in any municipality provided for under the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.).
"Nonresidential structure" means any building designed and built for use as a factory or warehouse, or for retail or wholesale merchandising, office, workshop, school, hospital, hotel, or any other commercial, industrial or institutional purpose; or which, having been designed and built for residential use, has been altered, converted or reconstructed for nonresidential use;
"Residential structure" means any detached one or two family residential structure or any building providing multi-dwelling units for the accommodation of non-transient tenants.
"Solar photovoltaic system" means a technology or device such as a photovoltaic module that captures and converts solar radiation to produce energy.
2. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall, pursuant to the authority under the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.), promulgate rules and regulations to require that an identifying emblem be affixed to the front of any structure if a solar photovoltaic system is affixed to the roof of that structure or if the structure is served by an adjacent solar photovoltaic system. The design and placement of the emblem shall be determined by the commissioner based upon national standards or a national model code, as applicable, and shall be installed and maintained by the owner of the structure. The provisions of this section shall not apply to one or two family residential structures.
3. a. Upon issuing a permit approving the installation or alteration of a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system as defined in section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) for a residential structure or nonresidential structure, the local enforcing agency shall, within 10 days after issuance, file a copy of the permit with the local fire official serving the municipality in which the residential structure or nonresidential structure is located.
b. The owner of any residential structure or nonresidential structure who installs or provides for the installation of a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system on or after the effective date of this act, or has installed or provided for the installation of a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system prior to the effective date of this act, shall provide a written notification to the local fire official which shall include but need not be limited to:
(1) the name of the property owner or owners as well as the address of the residential structure or nonresidential structure upon which the solar photovoltaic system has been installed, and the name of the owner or owners and the address of any other adjacent structure served by the solar photovoltaic system;
(2) a statement as to whether the solar photovoltaic system is equipped with an external emergency disconnection device;
(3) a description, if applicable, of the exact location of the external emergency disconnection device; and
(4) the year that the roof mounted solar photovoltaic system was installed on the residential structure or nonresidential structure.
The written notification shall be submitted in a format containing any additional information that the commissioner deems necessary as prescribed by rule or regulation.
c. A copy of a permit filed pursuant to subsection a. of this section or written notification issued pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be kept on file by the chief of the local fire department, and the address of the residential structure or nonresidential structure, the address of any other adjacent structure served by the solar photovoltaic system, and any additional information regarding the solar photovoltaic system shall be maintained in a registry by the fire department. The information contained in the registry shall serve to alert firefighters, when responding to an emergency situation, that a residential structure or nonresidential structure is equipped with, or is served by, a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system and that reasonable precautions may be necessary when responding to the emergency.
d. The provisions of this P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be enforced in accordance with enforcement procedures set forth in the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that an identifying emblem be placed in the front of a structure if a solar photovoltaic system is attached to the roof of that structure or if the structure is served by an adjacent solar photovoltaic system. The bill provides an exception for one or two family residential structures, which are not required to display an identifying emblem. Under the bill, the Commissioner of Community Affairs is required to determine the design and placement of the identifying emblem based upon national standards or a national model code.
In addition, the bill requires that a local enforcing agency, within 10 days after issuing a permit approving the installation or alteration of a solar photovoltaic system for residential or nonresidential property, file a copy of the permit with the local fire official. The bill further requires the owner of any residential or nonresidential structure who has a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system installed either prior to or after the bill's effective date to so notify the local fire official in writing. The notification is to include the name of the property owners, the address of the property, the name of the owner or owners and the address of any other adjacent structure served by the system, and information concerning whether the solar photovoltaic system is equipped with an external emergency disconnection device. The bill also requires that the local fire department be informed of the location of an external emergency disconnection device if applicable, and the year that the solar photovoltaic system was installed.
