The Authority of the County Fire Marshal
	Areas of Responsibility & Duties of the County Fire Marshal
	Codes & Standards Adopted by the County Fire Marshal
	Organizational Chart

The Authority of the County Fire Marshal

The County Fire Marshal’s Office derives its authority from Division A-33, Chapter IV, Article 1, Section A33-40 through A33-59 of the Santa Clara County Code, and from the California Health and Safety Code.

Areas of Responsibility & Duties of the County Fire Marshal

Responsibilities:  The County Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for fire prevention activities in most unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County, however there are a few areas where our responsibilities are shared and/or deferred to other agencies for various reasons.  Since it is often difficult to determine exactly which agency you should be contacting for your project or issue, we have tried to simplify the process by including helpful information and links to the other agencies you might need.  If you cannot determine who you should be in contact with, please feel free to contact the office at (408) 299-5762, and the staff will assist you.

Jurisdiction: Determining which fire prevention jurisdiction you or your project lie within can also be confusing and may delay your project.  Please visit our  “Find Your Jurisdiction” page to make sure you are in contact with the correct fire authority.

County Facilities: If your project relates to a Santa Clara County facility, whether it is owned or leased by the County, please be sure to contact or submit plans to our County Facilities Branch, located at the County Center at Charcot.

Relationship with the Santa Clara County Fire Department:  Although the Santa Clara County Fire Department (also known as the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District) is not an actual division of the County of Santa Clara, it is tied closely to the Board of Supervisors, which serves as its Board of Commissioners.  In 1987, the County entered into a contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Department for the administration of the County Fire Marshal’s Office.  The County Code assigned the title of  “County Fire Marshal” to the Chief of the Fire Department, and the Fire Department provides staff to cover the duties performed by the Office. 

Duties of the Santa Clara County Fire Marshal's  Office:

Land Development:

• Offer consultations to the public at pre-application meetings for proposed Land Development permits.
• Review Environmental Impact Reports to determine findings regarding fire hazards and other emergencies.
• Review submitted plans for Use Permits/Renewals, Architectural Site Approval & Building Site Approval, agricultural exempt structures, etc. upon referral from the County Planning Department, and set conditions to be met by the project.  Reviews are coordinated with local responding jurisdictions when appropriate.
• Review grading permits upon referral from Land Development Engineering.
• Review plans for Entertainment Permits (Fairs/Festivals, Bingo, etc.).
• Review Building Permit plans upon submittal (final approval prior to issuance of a when building permit).

Construction:

• Review Building Permit plan submittals for fire and life-safety code compliance.
• Review Fire Marshal Permit plan submittals (e.g.: Fire Alarm, Sprinklers and other suppression systems, hydrant systems, hazardous materials, fuel tanks, generators, propane tanks, process piping, etc.).
• Conduct inspections for compliance with code and approved plans for both Building Permit and Fire Marshal Permit submittals.

Special Events – Conduct plan review, issue permits and conduct inspections for:

• Tents & Canopies
• Special Events (fairs, festivals, haunted houses, etc.)
• Fireworks & Special Effects

Periodic Fire Safety Inspections of Existing Structures in/at:

• County owned and leased facilities
• Stanford University Campus
• Multi-family dwellings, private & public schools (grades K-12), detention facilities & high rise occupancies throughout the unincorporated areas of the County, as required by the California Health & Safety Code.

Other Responsibilities:

• Review plans for public schools for fire department access & fire protection water supply upon request from the Department of the State Architect
• Inspect Licensed Facility Fire Clearance requested by the California Departments of Social Services, Health Services, Alcohol and Drug Programs, and Santa Clara County Social Services (Foster Care).
• Inspect organized Camp Annual Fire Clearance upon request.
• Fire Hazard Complaint Investigation and Code Enforcement.
• Review plans for public schools for fire department access & fire protection water supply upon request from the Department of the State Architect.
• Inspect Licensed Facility Fire Clearance requested by the California Departments of Social Services, Health Services, Alcohol and Drug Programs, and Santa Clara County Social Services (Foster Care).
• Inspect organized Camp Annual Fire Clearance upon request.
• Fire Hazard Complaint Investigation and Code Enforcement.

NOTE: Responsibility for the Weed Abatement Program has been transferred to the County Division of Agriculture. Weed Abatement's Complaint Line number is (408) 282-3145. To find out about their program go to the County Division of Agriculture's website home page: http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/ag and click on Weed Abatement Program.

Codes & Standards Adopted by the County Fire Marshal

• Section A33-47 of the Santa Clara County Code and Section 101 of the California Fire Code give the County Fire Marshal the authority to make and enforce such rules and regulations for the prevention and control of fire and fire hazards as may be necessary to carry out the intent of the Code.  Copies of  Santa Clara County Fire Marshal Standards and the County Fire Code Amendments  can be found on this website.  [REF: SCC §A33-47 & CFC §101.4]

• The Fire Marshal's Office also has the responsibility for enforcing Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations, and portions of the California Building Code, as adopted by the County of Santa Clara. A copy of the County Fire Code is kept at the County Clerk of the Board's Office.

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