State Fire & Building Codes

New Hampshire has adopted the following fire and building codes, which include the national model codes and standards with amendments.

They apply to every municipality and property owner statewide and are the minimum requirements for all buildings and structures.

A locality may also adopt local bylaws or ordinances, provided they are more stringent than the requirements of the state codes.

New Hampshire has adopted the national model codes and standards with amendments.

State Fire Code

RSA 153:1,VI-a. "New Hampshire fire code" or "state fire code" means the adoption by reference of the Life Safety Code 2021 edition and the Uniform Fire Code NFPA 1, 2021 edition, as published by the National Fire Protection Association and as amended by the state board of fire control and ratified by the general court pursuant to RSA 153:5.

The provisions of any other national code, model code, or standard referred to within a code listed in this definition shall not be included in the state fire code unless amended in accordance with RSA 153:5.

Effective August 13, 2024, the State Fire Code was updated to the 2021 Edition of NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, with modifications from the Board of Fire Control. 

Fire Code Amendments

Amendments that are in effect have been approved through the NH Board of Fire Control, ratified by the state legislature, and signed by the Governor.

The following standards are also adopted as part of the state fire code and are mandatory. They are amendments that have been adopted by the NH Board of Fire Control and the State Fire Marshal pursuant to BFC 200. They are rules that are exempt from the RSA 541-A process per RSA 153.5.

State Building Code

RSA 155-A:1 IV. "New Hampshire building code" or"state building code" means the adoption by reference of the following, as amended by the state building code review board and ratified by the legislature in accordance with RSA 155-A:10.

Codes & Standards

Boards

Related Documents

HB 1059-2024, updating the state building code, was approved by the Governor on August 2, 2024, with an effective date retroactive to July 1, 2024. A six-month concurrency period is available through December 31, 2024, where permits and other documents, at the election of the applicant, may show compliance with the current NH State Building Code, or the NH State Building Code in effect just prior to July 1, 2024, but not a combination of the two codes.

Building Code Amendments

When referencing the NH State Building Code, it is extremely important to check for amendments adopted by the Building Code Review Board.

Document Library

Code enforcement officials, architects, and engineers often to need to refer to previous versions of the State Building & Fire Codes and amendments that were in effect when a building was built or occupied.

Prior Fire Codes – Reference Only

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International Code Council (ICC)

International Code Council (ICC)

Please understand these codes are copyrighted work of the International Code Council (ICC). As such, we cannot supply a copy of any of the codes. If you need a copy of the code, please contact a local bookstore or the ICC at:

International Code Council
5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 600
Falls Church, VA 22041-3401
(703) 931-4533