The following list contains contact information for the Office of the Fire Marshal for each of the listed states. In some cases, the code enforcement agency may not be the Fire Marshal, which is noted. Important historical fires and disasters which have had an impact on fire codes are also detailed.
Every attempt has been made to ensure that this information is current, but for the latest information, always refer to the local agency responsible for code enforcement in your region.
Jump to the U.S. Territory of Interest.
Alabama
Alabama State Fire Marshal
201 Monroe Street, Suite 1790
P.O. Box 303352
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3352
Phone: 334-241-4166
Web: https://www.firemarshal.alabama.gov/
Established in 1917, the Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office became a division of the Alabama Department of Insurance in 1953.
Alabama has adopted statewide- International Building Code® (with limitations)
- International Fire Code® (with limitations)
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
Exit signs with red lettering are recommended.
Fire Facts:- On September 19, 1902, in Birmingham, Alabama, over two thousand people crowded into the Shiloh Baptist Church to hear an address by Booker T. Washington. An altercation broke out over an empty seat, and someone yelled "fight" which was misinterpreted as "fire." Although there was no fire, 115 people were trampled to death as the crowd stampeded for the building exits in a panic.
Alaska
Alaska State Fire Marshal
Anchorage Office
5700 E. Tudor Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99507-1225
Phone: 907-269-5511
Web: https://dps.alaska.gov/Fire/Home
In 1955, an arson fire in a building next door to the Territorial Police offices in Anchorage led to the creation of the Office of the Fire Marshal within the Department of Territorial Police.
Alaska has adopted statewide- International Building Code®
- International Fire Code®
Exit signs with red or green lettering are acceptable as long as there are "contrasting letters" on a white background.
Fire Facts:- A fire on May 22, 1906 gutted the commercial heart of Fairbanks, Alaska, leaving only two buildings standing.
- A fire on September 17, 1934 destroyed 20 blocks of the business district of Nome, Alaska.
- In 2004, over six million acres, the largest area destroyed by fire in U.S. history, burned in Alaska wildfires from July through August.
Arizona
Arizona State Fire Marshal
1110 W. Washington St., Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-771-1400
Web: https://dffm.az.gov/fire-marshals-office
Budget cutbacks have recently caused the Arizona Office of the State Fire Marshal to suspend several significant programs and implement staff reduction.
Arizona has adopted statewide- International Building Code® (with limitations)
- International Fire Code® (with limitations)
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
Although exit signs with red or green lettering are acceptable, the cities of Phoenix and Tuscon recommend exit signs with red lettering.
Fire Facts:- In Tucson, Arizona, the December 20, 1970 Pioneer International Hotel Fire resulted in 29 dead and 26 injured. The hotel had not been subject to safety changes made to building codes since the hotel's completion in 1929.
- The June 28, 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire led to the death of 19 firefighters and 8,400 acres burned.
Arkansas
Arkansas State Fire Marshal
Arkansas State Police Headquarters
One State Police Plaza Drive
Little Rock, AR 72209
Phone: 501-618-8624
Web: https://asp.arkansas.gov/divisions/regulatory-services/fire-marshal
The Fire Marshal's Office of the State Police was created through legislative authority giving the Director of the Arkansas State Police/State Fire Marshal specific responsibilities and authority to prevent fires in the State of Arkansas.
Arkansas has adopted statewide- International Building Code®
- International Fire Code®
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
Although exit signs with red or green lettering are acceptable, the city of Little Rock recommends exit signs with red lettering.
Fire Facts:- On September 6, 1913, a fire broke out in Hot Springs, Arkansas, destroying 55 blocks, much of the southern part of the city.
California
OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL
2251 Harvard Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95815
PO Box 944246
Sacramento, CA 94244-2460
Phone: 916-568-3800
Web: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/
The Office of the State Fire Marshal was originally established in 1923.
California has adopted statewide- International Building Code®
- International Fire Code®
Exit signs with red or green lettering are acceptable except, the city of Los Angeles requires exit signs with red lettering, San Francisco and the bay area require exit signs with green lettering, and the city of Berkely does not permit tritium exit signs.
Fire Facts:- On September 6, 1913, a fire broke out in Hot Springs, Arkansas, destroying 55 blocks, much of the southern part of the city.
- In a series of devastating "Great Fires" on December 24, 1849, May 4, 1850, June 14, 1850, September 17, 1850, May 4, 1851, & June 22, 1851, major portions of the city of San Francisco were destroyed. Residents quickly rebuilt.
- As damaging as was the April 18, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, the fires that burned out of control afterward were even more destructive. It is estimated that up to 90% of the total destruction was the result of the subsequent firestorm that lay waste to approximately 25,000 structures on 490 city blocks.
- The September 17, 1923 Berkeley Fire consumed 640 structures, including 584 homes in the densely-built neighborhoods north of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.
- The October 3, 1933 Griffith Park Fire led to the death of 29 workers, who had been on site as part of a workfare project, and were pressed into service as ad hoc firefighters. When professional firefighters arrived on the scene, they were able to quickly limit the fire to only 47 acres.
- The July 17, 1944, Port Chicago, California Disaster occurred when munitions that were being loaded onto a cargo ship bound for the Pacific detonated, destroying the pier, two cargo ships, a coast guard fire boat, killing 322, injuring nearly 400 others, and seriously damaging much of the surrounding town.
- The July 9, 1953 Rattlesnake Fire in Mendocino National Forest killed fourteen firefighters and one Forest Service employee. The person responsible for the fire was arrested and sentenced on two counts of arson.
- The November 6, 1961 Brentwood-Bel Air Fire was the fifth worst fire in U.S. history at the time, burning 16,090 acres, and destroying 484 homes and 190 other structures.
- The October 20, 1991 Oakland Firestorm (also known as the Oakland Hills Firestorm, the East Bay Hills Fire, and the Tunnel Fire) killed 25 people and injured 150 others on the hillsides of northern Oakland, California, and southeastern Berkeley. 1,520 acres were burned, including 3,354 single-family homes.
Colorado
Colorado Division of Fire Safety
700 Kipling Street, Suite 4100
Lakewood, CO 80215
Phone: 303-239-4100
Web: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dfpc/fire-and-life-safety
The Division of Fire Safety was created in the Colorado Department of Public Services on July 1, 1984.
Colorado has adopted statewide- International Building Code® (with limitations)
- International Fire Code® (with limitations)
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
Although exit signs with red or green lettering are generally acceptable, certain localities may require exit signs with either red or green lettering.
Fire Facts:- The July 2, 1994 South Canyon Fire (also known as the Storm King Fire) was a wildfire that took the lives of 14 firefighters on Storm King Mountain, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado on July 6th, 1994.
- The September 6, 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire is the most expensive wildfire in Colorado history, burning 6,181 square acres and 170 homes in Boulder County, Colorado.
Connecticut
Office of State Fire Marshal
450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 1304
Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: 860-713-5750
Web: https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/Office-of-State-Fire-Marshal/Office-of-State-Fire-Marshal
On September 29, 1947, the first Connecticut Fire Safety Code was established.
Connecticut has adopted statewide- International Building Code® (with limitations)
- International Fire Code® (with limitations)
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
- Life Safety Code®
Exit signs with either red or green lettering are acceptable.
Fire Facts:- The July 6, 1944 Hartford, Connecticut Circus Fire occurred when the "Big Top" tent caught fire during an afternoon performance of The Ringling brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 168 were killed and possibly 700 more wounded. Over a hundred of those killed were younger than 15.
Delaware
Delaware State Fire Marshal
1537 Chestnut Grove Road
Dover, DE 19904-1544
Phone: 302-739-5665
Web: https://statefiremarshal.delaware.gov/
The Delaware State Legislature at the urging of the Volunteer Fire Service created the Office of the State Fire Marshal In 1953.
Delaware has adopted statewide- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
- International Building Code®
- International Fire Code®
Exit signs with red lettering are recommended.
Fire Facts:- On August 13, 1909, nearly the entire town of Milton, Delaware was wiped out by fire. Only twelve houses remained. Several hundred were made homeless.
- Only two people died in fires in Delaware in 2011, the fewest ever recorded. In both cases, the victim's homes were not equipped with smoke detectors.
District of Columbia
Office of the Fire Marshal
2000 14th Street, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-673-3320
Web: https://fems.dc.gov/page/office-fire-marshal
The District of Columbia does not have a Fire Marshal. That authority rests with the Chief of Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC FEMS). The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, established July 1, 1884, is the municipal fire department and emergency medical service agency for Washington, D.C.
Washington D.C. has adopted- International Building Code®
- International Fire Code®
- During the War of 1812, on August 24, 1814, British forces led by General Robert Ross occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings including the White House, U.S. Capitol, the United States Treasury Building, much of the Washington Navy Yard, and the War Office. Less than a day after the attack began, a sudden thunderstorm spawned a tornado that passed through part of the city, killing British troops and American civilians and putting out most of the fires. The storm forced British troops to return to their ships, many of which were badly damaged. The actual occupation of Washington lasted about 26 hours.
Florida
Florida Department of Financial Services
Division of State Fire Marshal
200 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0340
Web: https://www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/SFM/
The Division of State Fire Marshal is located within the Department of Financial Services. Florida's Chief Financial Officer also serves as Florida's State Fire Marshal.
Florida has adopted- International Building Code®
- NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
Exit signs with either red or green lettering are acceptable, except northern Florida requires exit signs with red lettering.
Fire Facts:- On November 26, 1883, The Ocala, Florida Thanksgiving Day Fire destroyed much of the downtown business district. When the city rebuilt, it was with brick, rather than lumber. Ocala was soon known as "The Brick City."
- The May 3 Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901 was the largest urban fire in the southeastern United States. Within eight hours the fire destroyed 146 city bocks of Jacksonville, Florida (more than 2,368 buildings) and left nearly 10,000 homeless.
- On March 29, 1953, the Littlefield's Nursing Home Fire in Largo, Florida claimed 33 lives. The fire shocked the community and led to statewide nursing home reforms.
- In Jacksonville, Florida, on December 29, 1963, The Hotel Roosevelt Fire resulted in twenty-two deaths, mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning.
- On July 16, 1967 the Jay, Florida Prison Road Camp Fire resulted in the death of 37 inmates with five others injured, contributing to the end of Florida Chain Gangs.